Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis talked on draft night about the Bengals decision to take the risk with Mixon.
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“For me personally, and I think for everybody, No. 1 — him understanding the magnitude of what occurred,” Lewis said. “As he moves forward in his NFL career, what he can do to continue to distance himself from that one day?
“I think for the past three years he’s had to live on the head of a pin,” Lewis added. “Everything he’s done comes under the microscope. He understands that. I think every day moving forward he lives under that same microscope.”
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Mixon is the ninth Bengals draft pick to sign, leaving only third-round defensive end Jordan Willis and fifth-round offensive lineman J.J. Dielman.
All rookie contracts for draft picks are for four years. The Bengals did not release terms of the deal, but spotrac.com reports it is worth $5.4 million, which includes a $2.1 million signing bonus.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton said he’s been impressed with Mixon during OTAs and looks forward to the dynamic he can bring to the offense.
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“With his versatility – the ability to run and catch – I think that’s going to be big,” Dalton said. “One of the things that helps with a guy that is versatile is you’re not tipping anything – you could be running the ball and you could be throwing it.”
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Mixon played in 25 games with nine starts in two seasons at Oklahoma and posted career rushing totals of 300 carries, 2027 yards and 17 TDs.
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He ranks third in Sooners history in career receiving yards by a running back (894) and fourth in career receptions by a running back (65).
In 12 games this past season, Mixon rushed for 1274 yards and 10 TDs on 187 carries and had 37 catches for 538 yards and another five TDs. He ranked second nationally in all-purpose yards last season, setting single-season school records for all-purpose yards (2331) and all-purpose yards per game (194.3) along the way, and he was named First-Team All-Big 12 by conference coaches.
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