Should The Bengals Consider Drafting Joe Mixon?

In 2016, the NFL saw rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot transform an average Dallas Cowboys team into an NFC power, showing just how valuable a running back can be. While the Bengals have an okay running game, their backs are far from elite. Drafting a legitimately talented rusher could do wonders for their offense. Enter Joe Mixon.

The Cincinnati Bengals are looking for a spark to ignite their team in 2017. They have a decent quarterback and a great number one receiver. Their running game, however, has been a question for a number of years. Out of the top backs in the draft, there is one that has the skills to be an immediate impact player. That man is Oklahoma’s, Joe Mixon. Unfortunately, Mixon also comes with a lot of baggage.

It was recently reported that the Bengals met privately with Mixon. This means the Bengals must at least be considering drafting him. Mixon is undeniably talented, but his checkered past is a real concern. Would drafting him be a good idea for the Bengals?

The Top Running Back Options

if the Bengals are thinking about drafting a back, they will most likely look to Florida State’s Dalvin Cook or Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon. Cook has been considered the safer choice, but in reality, both players have questionable backgrounds. Cook was charged with battery (which he was later found not guilty of) and given a citation for mistreatment of animals. Mixon’s troubles, however, were made more public due to the video of the incident in 2014 when he violently punched a woman, fracturing four of her facial bones. Is Mixon’s talent worth giving him a look in spite of his troubling past?