Bengals bungle with second round pick

I've previously wrote that the Cincinnati Bengals gambled by picking wide receiver John Ross in the first round of the NFL draft because of his ACL injury. But then came the second round and the Bengals became the Bungles again. They used a high pick and selected Oklahoma running back, Joe Mixon.

In case you didn't know, Joe Mixon as an eighteen year old got into a fight with a young lady and decked her. It was such a vicious punch that the woman suffered a broken jaw. (Bengals Introductory Press Conference with Mixon. ESPN) What makes it worse, is the video of the incident has been on the internet.

Now the Bengals have a long history of drafting and or signing "bad hombres" as Trump would put it. Stanley Wilson. Chris Henry. And who can forget the epic meltdown in that 2016 playoff game with the Pittsburgh Steelers by Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones? Bad behavior off the field translates to bad behavior on the field. But the Bengals have not learned the lesson.

So, what about the player? Joe Mixon is first round talent. He's arguably the best running back in the draft. He's got great vision and bursts through the hole. Excellent speed. Good hands. He will break tackles. See video below. Looking at both the negative and the positive, I would not have wasted the second round pick on him. Too risky. Pick this guy in the late rounds, perhaps even in the seventh. Let's face it, he had few callers. Reports indicated that only four teams were interested. CBS Sports.

The question for all of us is whether Mr. Mixon can stay on the straight and narrow. I would suggest that Joe Mixon show the world some humility. No matter how great he can be, he should devote his free time to charity. Show the Cincinnati community that he's a different man from his youth.