With the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select running back Joe Mixon of Oklahoma.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Draft Tracker: Round 2
Pete Prisco's Grade: B
From a talent standpoint, this is a big hit. Might be the best runner in the draft. But there is that baggage.
Instant analysis
Jeremy Hill, who has shown glimpses of big-play ability, has officially been put on notice. Mixon is a special talent who joins playmaking wide receiver John Ross, the Bengals' first-round pick. Undoubtedly a first-round talent, the former Oklahoma running back was caught on tape hitting a woman, and while several NFL teams have met with him in the weeks leading up to the draft (Mixon was barred from the NFL combine), several other teams had removed him from their draft board. But Mixon finds a home in Cincy, a team that has a history of getting the most out of players other teams shy away from. In related news: Quarterback Andy Dalton's job just got a lot easier.
Put another way...
Bengals are 37-1-2 in their past 40 games when they score 23 or more points. Looks like their draft plan was "How do we score more points?"
— John Breech (@johnbreech) April 28, 2017
Fantasy impact
"The Bengals needed an upgrade with their running game after Jeremy Hill has struggled for the past two years, and Giovani Bernard is coming off last year's torn ACL. So Cincinnati took the chance on Joe Mixon, and he's a talented playmaker that should do well right away. He's a potential No. 2 Fantasy running back in seasonal leagues, and he's an easy selection in the first round of rookie-only drafts. Hill's Fantasy value takes a huge hit with this move, and Bernard is already a late-round pick coming off his injury." -- Jamey Eisenberg
NFL comparison
Le'Veon Bell: At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, and with the ability to mix a quick first step, power and elusiveness, Mixon has drawn comparisons on the field to Bell.
