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Why RB Joe Mixon’s Past Should Not Scare the San Francisco 49ers from Drafting Him

By Akash Anavarathan

Nov 12, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs for a touchdown past Baylor Bears defensive end Greg Roberts (52) during the second half at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) runs for a touchdown past Baylor Bears defensive end Greg Roberts (52) during the second half at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) celebrates after a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Joe Mixon (25) celebrates after a touchdown against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the second quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Breaking Down the Numbers

Mixon comes in at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, which is a prototypical size for an NFL running back.

Let’s first take a look at Mixon’s rushing numbers from his two years at Oklahoma. He was suspended for the entire 2014 season and came back and had two solid season after.

The defenses he goes up against on a weekly basis are not great, as he plays in the Big-12 Conference, but still the statistics are eye-popping:

Rushing Receiving Scrimmage
Year School Conf Class Pos G Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
*2015 Oklahoma Big 12 FR RB 13 113 753 6.7 7 28 356 12.7 4 141 1109 7.9 11
2016 Oklahoma Big 12 SO RB 12 187 1274 6.8 10 37 538 14.5 5 224 1812 8.1 15
Career Oklahoma 300 2027 6.8 17 65 894 13.8 9 365 2921 8.0 26

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 2/19/2017.

Arguably, Mixon’s rushing totals are lower than the other top running back prospects in this draft. Running back Leonard Fournette from LSU had 1,953 rushing yards in 2015 and RB Dalvin Cook from Florida State had 1,765 rushing yards. 

But when receiving yards are thrown into the mix, Mixon outshines both Fournette and Cook. Mixon nearly tripled Fournette’s output and had about 100 more yards than Cook.

Mixon is a threat all over the field, he is able to catch passes out of the backfield with more consistency than the projected first-round running backs. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Joe Mixon is one of the top 25 draft prospects. He’s a home-run threat, as he has 54.5 breakaway percentage. This means that when he touches the ball, nearly half the time, he has the potential to breakaway from the defense.

The Sooners’ RB averages 2.60 yards per route, which ranks second among all Power-5 running backs. Ranking second again, Mixon also possesses an overall grade of 87.1.

This kind of on-the-field performance cannot be ignored and he would be the offensive playmaker that San Francisco needs. Kyle Shanahan was able to do wonders with running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in Atlanta. Imagine what he can do with a backfield duo of Hyde and Mixon?