6 years agoYou either love or hate Joe Mixon, there is no in-between. It was a rough rookie season for the Oklahoma standout. Even after slipping in the draft due to off-field issues, he was still considered one of the best prospects in the 2017 rookie class. Mixon may not have landed in the best situation considering Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard were at the top of the depth chart, but he was by far the most talented back on the team and by the end of the season, it showed. With no Hill to cut into his playing time this year, Mixon will have free range to showcase those talents. An upgrade to the offensive line this off-season was the first step in making sure Mixon breaks out. It’s a good sign that Mixon improved during the season. During Weeks 1 through 8, Mixon only had 88 rushes for 284 yards, good for 3.22 yards per carry. From Weeks 9 through 16, Hill didn’t even see the field and Mixon had 80 rushes for 342 yards for 4.27 yards per carry. Keep in mind that during this time frame, Mixon also missed two games and part of another. If he had been healthy the full second half of the season, he could have run for over 800 yards and his full season yards per carry of 3.5 would have been higher. Add in his 88.2 catch percentage last season, second highest in the NFL, and Mixon could be the next RB1 everyone wants to buy.--Kyle Richardson