Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon was a big winner during the 2019 NFL Draft as the team drafted Alabama OT Jonah Williams with the No. 11 overall pick. Williams (6’5/302) started every game of his three-year Alabama career (29 starts at left tackle, 15 at right tackle) and went pro after earning unanimous first-team All-American and the 2018 Jacobs Trophy as the SEC’s top offensive lineman. Williams landed PFF College’s No. 1 run-blocking grade in the country last season and allowed zero sacks with only three QB pressures. Also intelligent with a 39 Wonderlic score, Williams’ biggest drawback is his 17th-percentile athleticism, a limitation Williams overcame with pro-ready technique and balance on tape. Before the draft, scouts debated Williams’ position fit from either tackle spot to guard or even center.
Good friend of the program and NFL Draft extraordinaire Dane Brugler had this to say about Williams;
While not on the same level as future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, he overcomes his lack of ideal length in similar ways, including his ability to make split-second reads, quickly find his landmarks and stay square to rushers. Overall, Williams is a detail-focused blocker with the foot quickness, technical savvy and attitude to be an above-average run blocker and pass protector in the NFL.
Mixon is coming off a fantastic season, rushing for 1,168 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was a workhorse back tallying 237 rushes, and now benefits from a bolstered offensive line and no key RB additions in free agency or from the draft. He easily one of The Wolf’s favorite players heading into 2019, as he is ranked No. 6 overall (+8 vs ECR) on his current Big Board. The introduction of Zac Taylor as the team’s head coach already has the Bengals moving in the right direction by being separated from the shoe that is Marvin Lewis. His creative play calling and offense crafted under the McVay tutelage should have Mixon drafters salivating. His stock is on the rise, and a huge third season jump could be on the way.
