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Oklahoma's Joe Mixon turns in good pro day as NFL teams weigh risk vs. reward
The Joe Mixon Redemption Tour continued Wednesday with his pro day workout along with his Oklahoma teammates.
The troubled Sooners running back, who was not invited to the NFL scouting combine, has met with several teams that want to know more about the man who punched a young woman in the face and is entering a league that has tried to take a stand against domestic violence the past few seasons. Mixon has apologized for his actions and now is trying to remind teams that he’s a heck of a running back.
How will teams grade Mixon, a terrific athlete and natural runner who comes with some serious baggage? It’ll be one of the top draft-related stories as we sit 50 days removed from the 2017 NFL draft.
Mixon measured in at his workout at 6-foot 1/2 and 228 pounds, with 10 1/4-inch hands and a wingspan of 34 1/2 inches. He then went out and ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, according to multiple reports, which would have ranked him fourth among combine running backs. The three backs who turned in better times all weigh far less than Mixon. LSU’s Leonard Fournette, who checked in at 240 pounds, ran a 4.51; Florida State’s Dalvin Cook ran a 4.49 at 210 pounds.
In addition, Mixon put up solid to strong numbers in the vertical jump (35 inches, which would have been tied for seventh at the combine); broad jump (118 inches, which would have tied for ninth); the three-cone drill (after flubbing his first attempt: 6.96 seconds, fifth); on the bench press (21 reps, tied for sixth); and the short shuttle (4.24, fifth). Mixon’s on-field workouts are upcoming.
As we wrote Monday, the chatter coming out of Indianapolis was that not being invited probably helped him unintentionally and that he appears to be a top-75 pick, perhaps as high as early in Round 2.
Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn said at the combine that he wished Mixon was in Indy, to allow him and his team to interview him and grill him on his past. Teams started meeting with Mixon Tuesday night prior to his pro day and will continue to meet with him, and he’s sure to make several team visits before the draft as well.
Another troubled Sooner, wide receiver Dede Westbrook, ran a 4.34 40-yard dash on Wednesday. Despite multiple incidents in his past, Westbrook was invited to the combine.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
