NFL Notes: Joe Mixon, Draft, Cowboys, Texans

Joe Mixon

Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon and Amelia Molitor, the woman he punched a few years ago, released a joint statement on Friday after they agreed to a civil settlement.

“I’m thankful Mia and I were able to talk privately,” Mixon said in the statement. “I was able to apologize to her one-to-one. The way I reacted that night, that’s not me. That’s not the way I was raised. I think she understands that.

“Talking together helps move us past what happened. I know I have to keep working to be a better person, and this is another step in that direction. I love working with kids, and I’m looking for more chances to do that kind of work. I want to lead a life that inspires them, and I hope I can lead by example from today forward.”

“I am happy we were able to bring the lawsuit to an end,” Molitor said in the statement. “Joe and I were able to meet privately, without any attorneys, and talk about our experiences since that night. I am encouraged that we will both be able to move forward from here with our lives.

“From our private discussions I am satisfied that we are going to put this behind us and work towards helping others who may have found themselves in similar circumstances. I greatly appreciate his apology and I think the feelings he expressed were sincere. We both could have handled things differently. I believe if we had a chance to go back to that moment in time, the situation would not have ended the way it did.

“I’m finished talking about what happened that night with Joe. It’s time to move on from that. I wish Joe the best of luck in his future.”

Draft

• According to Matt Miller, there’s draft buzz that Washington WR John Ross, FSU RB Dalvin Cook, and Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon will fall to round two.
• Miller also sys that there’s talk of two quarterbacks being taken in the top 10 and wonders if they’ll be Mitch Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes.
• Regarding the recent talk of the Bears possibly taking a quarterback at No. 3 overall, Charles Robinson wonders if this is just GM Ryan Pace trying to induce a team to trade up.
• Ian Rapoport reports that Ohio State S Malik Hooker’s combine recheck went as well as it could and his healing has been good.
• Houston DL Cameron Malveaux visited with the Chiefs this week. (Aaron Wilson)
• Washington NT Elijah Qualls met with the Patriots at the combine. (Doug Kyed)
• Trinity International CB Jarell Carter will meet with the Bears on Monday. (Aaron Wilson)

Cowboys

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones mentioned during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan that their preference is still to have La’el Collins playing guard in 2017, but they aren’t ruling out the possibility that he could be moved to right tackle, depending on how things go this summer.

“I’ll be real clear here, our first preference and still is is to have him play guard,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “But we also know that if there’s a guy on our team who might have that flexibility to move out to tackle then he certainly has that skill set.”

Jones also said that fromer second-round LB Jaylon Smith is “doing great” in his return from the knee injury he suffered a few years ago.

“He’s doing great,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “He’s making great improvements. We’re more fired up than ever we picked him last year.”

Texans

• Texans GM Rick Smith said of drafting a quarterback: “We have two quarterbacks on the roster and our intention is to go to camp with three quarterbacks.” He also added: “I think it’s a good quarterback class.“
• As for QB Tom Savage starting in 2017, Smith said: “I think he’s proven that he understands this offense and can play at a high level. I’m comfortable with that.“