Mixon could get a heavy dose of playing time from the outset, ESPN.com's Katherine Terrell reports.
Widely regarded as a top-20 talent, Mixon fell to the second round of the 2017 draft (No. 48 overall) due in large part to a 2014 incident in which he punched a female Oklahoma student. His landing spot comes as no surprise, with the Bengals in need of a running back and already possessing a long history of taking chances on players who bring negative PR backlash. Mixon shouldn't have much trouble earning some kind of role by Week 1, as Giovani Bernard is recovering from a torn ACL and Jeremy Hill fell shy of 4.0 yards per carry in both 2015 and 2016. Mixon seemingly combines Bernard's quickness and pass-catching skills with Hill's size and power, giving the Bengals a potential three-down threat in the backfield.