Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon Entering 2017 NFL Draft

Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon is entering the 2017 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

This is interesting, considering that few reports from last month mentioned that Mixon could be leaning towards returning to college next year.

In fact, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com reported that NFL GMs have informed people close to Mixon that he should return to school next year, as it’s unlikely he’ll be drafted or even signed as an undrafted free agent after the video of him punching an Oklahoma student was released.

In case you haven’t seen the video of the incident, The Oklahoman has it posted on their website.

Mixon punched an Oklahoma student, Amelia Molitor, in the face back in 2014 and was suspended from the football team for a season. However, the school allowed him to return after sitting out that season.

Molitor suffered fractured bones in her face from the incident and is currently suing Mixon in Oklahoma City federal court. Mixon just recently offered an apology to Molitor, his teammates and fans.

We saw the kind of impact a video had on the Ray Rice domestic abuse case a few years ago and it wouldn’t be a stretch to see NFL teams across the board remove him from their draft boards, even though Mixon is considered to be one of the most talented running backs in next year’s draft class.

During his college career at Oklahoma, Mixon has rushed for 2,027 yards on 301 carries (6.7 YPC) to go along with 65 receptions for 894 yards receiving and 26 total touchdowns over the courses of 25 games. Mixon has also contributed 504 kick return yards and a touchdown.