Risk- reward draft picks are calculated gambles
Maybe in another time and place they are first- round picks.
I mean, Joe Mixon is a big play waiting to happen. Malik McDowell is an uncanny ball of energy in the middle of the trenches. Dalvin Cook was touted as the most well- rounded running back on the board. DeShone Kizer is a combination between Tom Brady and Cam Newton — or so he says.
The first round of the NFL draft came and went without any of them hearing their names called. As Day 2 got rolling Friday, they embodied the classic riskreward projects who will provide for intriguing analysis during a year to be named later.
Each has prodigious talent. But with assorted issues, questions and challenges, they are nobody’s first- round investment.
Mixon was the most polarizing player in the draft, captured on video slugging an Oklahoma student, Amelia Molitor, in a 2014 incident that resulted in four broken bones in her face. But while some teams removed him completely from their boards because of this violent act, the Cincinnati Bengals have a track record of providing second chances. They were the first team to bring Mixon in for a visit. Now, after snagging him with the 48th overall pick, he’ll join a locker room that includes notable second- chance hotheads in Adam “Pacman” Jones and Vontaze Burfict.
Clearly, Bengals owner Mike Brown and coach Marvin Lewis are only so concerned about any public relations backlash they’ll face for selecting Mixon. It’s striking that this decision occurs during an offseason that began with the Bengals being embroiled in controversy for supporting Jones, shown spitting on a nurse in a jailhouse video of his arrest processing.
Now there’s another sad video attached to one of Cincy’s players.
Apparently, the Bengals are convinced that Mixon won’t snap again. He received a one- year deferred sentence and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and undergo counseling. He also settled a civil suit with Molitor.
But the Bengals are willing to accept the risk — again — that comes with the potential reward of landing a star player. Other gambles run the gamut. McDowell, the Michigan State defen- sive tackle whom NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock called a “genetic freak,” has a reputation as an inconsistent performer with maturity concerns. He was panned as a poor interview during the combine. Now, McDowell will join one of the NFL’s most formidable defensive lines after being picked 35th overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
Meanwhile, the Browns have swung on another quarterback in Kizer ( 52nd overall), even though his Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly, said publicly that the athletically gifted passer needed another year of college development. Now, Kizer will hop on a fast track with Browns coach Hue Jackson.
Has Cleveland found its franchise quarterback? TBD.
Cook, picked 41st overall by the Minnesota Vikings, joins free agent signing Latavius Murray as part of the plan to replace Adrian Peterson. Cook broke Warrick Dunn’s record to become Florida State’s all- time rushing leader. But he lasted until Friday amid questions of offfield risks.
Two cornerbacks could wind up as major bargains if they heal from recent surgeries. Washington’s Sidney Jones, picked by the Philadelphia Eagles 43rd overall, is rehabbing from a torn Achilles tendon. UCLA’s Fabian Moreau, who tore a chest muscle during his pro day, was drafted 81st overall by Washington.
But this is what happens on the second day of the draft — and beyond. Time to take more chances. If they flop, the investments won’t be crippling.
But at the moment, they also have the potential to turn into gold.