Cincinnati Bengals select Joe Mixon at No. 48 in 2017 NFL Draft
By John Buhler
The Cincinnati Bengals took a chance on troubled star running back from the Oklahoma Sooners Joe Mixon with the No. 48 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
His on-field talent was obvious, but the tape that leaked of him striking a woman in the face while in college certainly had a negative impact on Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon. Despite starring in the Big 12 for Oklahoma, Mixon was not allowed to attend the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis for obvious reasons.
While he did have first-round talent, there was no way that any NFL team was going to use its first-round pick on the Oklahoma tailback. However, rumors started to circulate in late April that Mixon was going to end up being a second-round pick. He’d have to go to the right situation and that seems to have happened.
One of the teams that could afford to draft Mixon was the Cincinnati Bengals. They took him at No. 48 in the second round of day two of the 2017 NFL Draft. Though the Bengals failed to reach the AFC Playoffs in 2016, their head coach Marvin Lewis is one of the longest tenured and most respected men in his position in the league. Cincinnati has a strong track record in drafting or signing players with troubled pasts.
After the Minnesota Vikings selected Florida State running back Dalvin Cook earlier in round two, it looked more and more like Cincinnati would be the team that ended up selecting Mixon. He is the second pick of the Bengals in this draft, joining Washington Huskies standout John Ross in the Queen City this spring.
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Ross will be the cornerstone player of this draft for the Bengals. It’s better for public relations that he was the Bengals first-round pick instead of Mixon. However, guys like Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones and Vontaze Burfict have had success playing for the Bengals despite character issues. Mixon could help the Bengals get back into playoff contention with his strong running game.