NFL: One breakout star for each team in the 2018 season
56. . RB, Cincinnati Bengals. . Joe Mixon. . team
One of the most controversial players to be drafted in recent history is Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon. After a video surfaced of him assaulting a woman in 2014, resulting in a broken jaw, Mixon fell of draft boards across the league. Cincinnati has a history of taking troubled players, but many thought taking Mixon in the second round, despite first-round talent, was too much of a risk.
On the field Mixon proved to be a valuable commodity for Marvin Lewis, rushing for 626 yards and four touchdowns despite starting the year as the third back behind Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard. Mixon added even more offense through the air, catching 30 passes and averaging 9.6 yards a catch.
Entering his sophomore year Mixon appears to be the featured back for Lewis and quarterback Andy Dalton. Hill, who the Bengals drafted 55th overall in 2014, wasn’t re-signed and landed in New England. Bernard, also a second-round back, proved capable of serving as a dynamic number two who amassed for over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three seasons.
Mixon can rush for 1,000 yards this year as the featured back, especially with Dalton coming under fire for not developing into the star Cincinnati hoped for at quarterback.