Oklahoma's Joe Mixon: Declares for 2017 NFL Draft

Mixon declared for the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday, Brooke Pryor of The Oklahoman reports.

Analysis:

The talented but controversial back heads to the NFL following an 180-yard, two-touchdown showing in Oklahoma's Sugar Bowl win over Auburn. Mixon (6-1, 226) amassed 2,027 rushing yards (6.8 YPC) and 894 receiving yards to go with 26 offensive touchdowns during his two seasons as a Sooner. He regularly showed elite traits as a runner, including his vision, speed, power, and pass catching ability out of the backfield. However, as will be the case all through the draft process and beyond, the video from 2014 of Mixon violently striking a woman in the face is an extremely troubling mark on his resume that raises character obvious concerns. As Pryor notes in her article, Mixon has first-round talent according to some NFL scouts, but his off field issues (which include an incident with a campus parking attendant from this season) will likely result in a drop in his draft stock.