Oakland Raiders rumors: Joe Mixon in for pre-draft visit

 The Oakland Raiders are clearly in the market for a running back, and Joe Mixon has been in for a pre-draft visit.

The Oakland Raiders willing let 2016 leading rusher Latavius Murray walk in free agency, and with Adrian Peterson still available rumors surrounding comeback by Marshawn Lynch have taken center stage.

The running back class in the 2017 NFL Draft is thought to be the deepest in years, with multiple potential first-round picks and plenty of others considered likely contributors. But there’s a draft-eligible running back that brings some controversy with him, and the Raiders may be interested.

According to ESPN’s Adam Caplan, the Raiders had Joe Mixon in for a pre-draft visit on Monday. The Oklahoma product has also visited the Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals, so after Mixon was not invited to the combine but put together a well-regarded workout at his pro day interest in him is ramping up.

Video of Mixon punching a woman in 2014 will follow him through the pre-draft process, and into his NFL career until further notice. He would be a sure-fire first-round pick based on talent alone, and teams that could not talk to him in Indianapolis are doing so now. All things considered, on and off the field, there’s no greater risk-reward player in this year’s draft than Mixon right now.

The rumored mutual interest between the Raiders and Lynch, with the Seattle Seahawks having to make a move if Lynch does come back, seems likely to be resolved soon. But Lynch is also going to turn 31 in April, so he’s a short-term answer and the Raiders can’t be blamed for taking a look at the incoming class of running backs.

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Al Davis was never afraid to add risky players to the Raiders’ roster during his time running the show. Mixon presents a different type of concerns though, and the modern regime may have just been doing some simple due diligence by having him in for a visit.