As Mike Mayock recently explained it, no team will draft former Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon unless the owner approves it. Given the post-Ray Rice realities of the NFL, that’s hardly a surprise; more than 20 years ago, the Patriots renounced the rights to third-rounder Christian Peter after ownership became aware of his history of alleged and actual violence against women.
So with the caveat that Mixon will be an owner’s pick, is there an owner who will pick Mixon?
For some, it may be an issue of the round in which he’s available. As Mixon drops, the relative value increases. At some point, the benefit of having Mixon could outweigh the cost of picking him.
But the cost will be much more than the draft pick invested. P.R. fallout is inevitable, and any team that embraces Mixon will need to have a clear plan in place for explaining why Mixon has gotten a second chance, given the graphic video of a vicious punch to the face of a woman who was accosting him.
On the issue of whether players deserve second chances, keep in mind that, in a 32-team industry with only 53 players per team, giving a player a second chance necessarily means taking away the first chance of someone who most likely hasn’t committed any acts of violence beyond the confines of a football field.
Though not invited to the Scouting Combine (he should be), Mixon will have plenty of chances to make the case for picking him. He’ll get a chance to do that publicly on Monday, when he calls in to PFT Live.
Source: NBC Sport
