Scouting Report: Joe Mixon

Oakley (CA) Freedom running back Joe Mixon (image)

Name: Joe Mixon
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 207 lbs.
High school: Oakley (CA) Freedom
Position: Running back
Class: 2014

Notes: Holds offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, California, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Fresno State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Idaho, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nevada, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, Utah, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, and Wisconsin . . . As a junior in 2012, he had 1,500 yards rushing, 450 yards receiving, and 31 total touchdowns . . . As a sophomore in 2011, he had 1,134 yards and 13 touchdowns . . . Rivals 4-star, #9 running back, #82 overall . . . 247 Sports 4-star, 95 grade, #8 running back, #75 overall . . . Committed to play in the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl . . . Former teammate of class of 2013 Michigan offeree Darrell Daneils, a wide receiver who signed with Washington

Strengths: Very physical runner . . . Runs feet very well through contact . . . Keeps balance well with wide base when necessary . . . Able to get low in traffic . . . Shows ability to jump cut laterally . . . Shifty runner who makes cuts going near full speed . . . Appears to be a big part of the passing game . . . Shows the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield . . . Finishes runs really well . . . Will deliver a blow to tacklers rather than waiting to get hit . . . Stays inbounds to gain extra yardage

Weaknesses: Good but not great speed . . . Likes to jump over tacklers, which may cause him to take some unnecessary damage . . . Sometimes likes to run laterally and reverse field, something that won't work as well against better competition

Projection: Running back.  I like Mixon a lot, and he looks like he could be a very good college running back.  He's a very physical runner with good speed, and I think he looks like he would fit best in a downhill running scheme, because he can make full speed cuts and he runs with a lot of power when he squares his shoulders.

Reminds me of: Michael Cox.  This is not a joke.  Some of Mixon's highlights look like some of Cox's best plays, although Mixon looks like a more polished product.

Likelihood of committing to Michigan: Mixon recently released a list of his top fifteen schools, which includes the big-time programs you might expect (Michigan, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, etc.).  Pulling big-time kids out of California will be difficult, but at least the Wolverines have made the first cut.