NFL.com ranks Bengals’ Joe Mixon a top-10 running back

Joe Mixon has been in the league just two years, yet he’s already starting to turn heads. The AFC’s leading rusher last season, Mixon was one of the top players snubbed of a Pro Bowl appearance.

Adding fuel to the fire, Mixon is set for yet another breakout season in 2019.

That being said, NFL.com contributor and former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew recently ranked each team’s starting running back. Mixon, the Bengals main option in the backfield, came in at No. 8.

Here’s what the former three-time Pro Bowler had to say about Mixon, who will be entering his third professional season in 2019.

“Mixon racked up nearly 1,500 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in 2018, but a lot of folks didn’t hear about it, because the Bengals struggled in the second half. I’ve been high on Mixon’s on-field ability since he was drafted, and he’s just scratching the surface entering Year 3. A former student of offensive guru Sean McVay, first-year Bengals head coach Zac Taylor should have a positive impact on this offense, and especially on Mixon, whose versatility could bring the offense to new heights in 2019.”

Jones-Drew is spot on with this.

Mixon has been widely underrated because of the success of the Bengals over the past few seasons. In Mixon’s time in the league, the Bengals have gone just 13-19, and traditionally backs on underperforming teams don’t necessarily get the credibility they deserve.

With four hundred-yard games last season, Mixon put up a phenomenal 4.93 yards per carry average. Just 22, Mixon has potentially a decade of relevance left, meaning the youngster could still be in contention for the league’s highest accolades.

All-in-all, expect a huge season from the star back in 2019.