Patriots reportedly would not draft Joe Mixon
There are at least a few — and probably more than a handful — NFL teams that would not consider selecting Joe Mixon no matter how far the former Oklahoma running back falls in next month’s NFL Draft. The New England Patriots are reportedly among those teams.
Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports that the Patriots would not consider drafting Mixon under any circumstance. Team owner Robert Kraft has long been outspoken about his intolerance for violence against women, and we all know about Mixon’s checkered past.
“While I believe in second chances and giving players an opportunity for redemption, I also believe that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right,” Kraft told the Herald, not specifically mentioning Mixon. “For me, personally, I believe that privilege is lost for men who have a history of abusing women.”
We learned earlier in the week that the Miami Dolphins have taken a similar stance, so it would appear Mixon’s chances of ending up in the AFC East are quite slim.
Despite being blacklisted by certain teams, Mixon’s stock appears to be rising heading into the draft. He has reportedly impressed some teams with his willingness to discuss the 2014 incident in which he punched a woman, and many talent evaluators believe he is the best running back in the draft.
