Philadelphia Eagles NFL Trade and Roster Rumors: Eagles Reportedly Have Permission to Draft Joe Mixon
Remember Michael Vick? Dog lovers could never forgive him. Teams wouldn't even consider signing him when he tried to make a comeback after serving his sentence. They were afraid of the public backlash, but the Philadelphia Eagles decided to give him another chance. Now, years later, the Eagles might make another surprising move.
NBC Sports' Josh Norris has reported that the Eagles have received the go-signal from owner Jeffrey Lurie to draft Joe Mixon.
The controversial running back has first-round talent, but his off-the-field issues have hurt his draft stock. He punched a woman during his freshman season in Oklahoma and a man recently claimed that Mixon hit his daughter while he was in high school.
Shortly after word got out, Howard Eskin of Fox 29 reported that Mixon was no longer on the Eagles' draft board. However, that allegation has been recanted already. PhillyVoice's Jimmy Kempski also said that a source told him the running back remains under consideration.
Meanwhile, the team's executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman spoke with the media recently about Mixon, but he won't say if Mixon was still on their draft board. He has some nice things to say about the running back, though.
"He's incredible with the ball in his hands, you can split him out, he's got really good hands, he can pass protect, he can make people miss. He's an extremely talented guy. But everyone we talk about, the total package comes into the equation," Roseman said, according to CSN Philly.
Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas also talked about Mixon and he thinks he's a very good player.
"A lot of people feel that he is one of the top backs in this draft. If you take character out of the equation, he's physically a very gifted player — but most teams aren't doing that," Douglas said, via CSN Philly.
Drafting Mixon can be a potential public relations nightmare, so the Eagles have to make sure he's worth it.