Amarius Mims, the Cincinnati Bengals’ right tackle and first-round pick in last year’s NFL Draft, could not hold back his excitement when another George Bulldog joined his team this offseason.

In the 2025 Draft, Cincy selected offensive guard Dylan Fairchild in the third round. After the life-changing phone call, he quickly got a FaceTime call from Mims, his former teammate who had grown close to during their time together in Athens.

“It was wild,” Mims said to WCPO Marshall Kramsky after seeing the Bengals draft Fairchild.

He had been waiting anxiously to see if Cincinnati would take him, and the wait paid off once he was able to give him a call.

“I was like, ‘okay maybe there’s a chance we can get this teammate’ … Coach had already talked about going guard … then I FaceTime him. He’s cheesin’, and I’m cheesin’, and I’m like ‘aw snap!’

“It’s one of the best feelings, man … For me, boom. It’s somebody I’ve been knowing since my freshman year of college … I’m very excited and happy to see my guy.”

Mims may be more excited put the rest of the Bengals’ roster onto the nickname for Fairchild that he coined while at Georgia: Pickle.

Nothing proves a strong brotherhood bond quite like a nickname. Mims and Fairchild were both members of Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class and they built a special relationship on and off the field. Their time spent in dining halls and dorm rooms went a long way in growing their friendship outside of just football.

“I try to think of nicknames,” Mims said. “So, like Brock Bowers for example. I called him Stanley. For some odd reason he looks like a Stanley to me.

“Like Dylan. We got to find a name for Dylan. I’m just sitting there thinking his name Dylan, I was like, ‘Pickle D’ so I was like, yep. Everybody loved it. So it stuck. So we just dropped the D and we just called him ‘Pickle.’

May it’s short for “dill”, like if Dylan’s name could be shortened? But we don’t know for sure – and maybe it’s best not to.

Regardless, it’s here to stay in Cincinnati, just like it has stuck with friends at Georgia.

“Everybody on the o-line still to this day, like that, from my sophomore year to now, everybody like in that online group still call him Pickle,” Mims joked.

As “Pickle” and the rest of the Bengals’ rookies prepare for minicamp this weekend, Mims is confident the addition of Fairchild will help the team’s camaraderie this season.

“We got a lot of chemistry. I feel like that’s good for the room. Just two guys already who has a little chemistry coming into the league. I feel like that helps a little bit.”