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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the most controversial 2017 NFL draft prospect this week: running back Joe Mixon, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The Oklahoma prospect punched a woman in 2014, breaking several bones in her face. The incident that was recorded on camera and has reportedly led to his being removed from several NFL draft boards.
Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon made a visit to the Bucs this week, sources say. With the Doug Martin situation developing, that's interesting.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 7, 2017
Mixon was convicted and received a deferred one-year sentence, being ordered to do 100 hours of community service and undergo counseling. Mixon has not really been repentant since then, which doesn’t exactly help his case.
Mixon is generally seen as one of the best running backs in the NFL, and the Bucs could target the position this year to replace Doug Martin. The latter is suspended for the first three games of the the 2017 season and coming off a very disappointing 2016 season.
The fact that the Bucs hosted Mixon for a visit indicates he was at least an option for them, but it’s hard to tell how interested they were and are. The Bucs likely had questions about that incident and how he’ll conduct himself going forward. Depending on the answers he provided, Mixon may or may not be on the team’s board still.
One thing to keep in mind: the Buccaneers have made it pretty clear in their actions that they don’t much care about players’ off-field behavior and past, as long as it isn’t likely hurt their on-field play and availability going forward.