Joe Mixon Reportedly Met with Bengals, Browns, Lions, Saints Ahead of Pro Day

Prior to Oklahoma's pro day on Wednesday, former Sooners running back Joe Mixon reportedly met with multiple teams Tuesday night.

According to NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala, Mixon held private meetings with the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Despite being one of the top running backs in the 2017 draft class, Mixon was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.

The snub was due to Mixon pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge after punching a woman at a Norman, Oklahoma, sandwich shop in 2014.

A new rule was instituted by the NFL last year stating that those with misdemeanor or felony convictions involving violence would not be permitted to take part in the combine.

When asked about Mixon at the combine, Lions general manager Bob Quinn was unhappy that the NFL didn't allow him to appear at the showcase, per ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein:

"

We're going to leave the door open on Joe. I think it's really disappointing that Joe's not here. We come here to see the best college football players in college football. So there's 330, 340-some odd players here. Him not being here, because of those issues, personally I don't think that's real fair because we have a lot of investigation that we want to do on him and to get him in one spot for all the teams would have been great.

I'm not part of those decisions about how guys are chosen but I think it is a disappointment that guys like him, there's a few others you can put in that category, that we're going to be chasing around the month of March and April and it's really unfair to the players to be honest with you. So the door is open and I'd like to be able to get a chance to sit down with the people that know Joe or Joe and see what the circumstances were around the incident.

"

While Quinn didn't get an opportunity to talk to or observe Mixon at the combine, he reportedly was among those who were able to pick his brain Tuesday night.

The Lions ranked 30th in the NFL in rushing last season, which means they figure to be very much in the market for a running back in the draft.

Mixon enjoyed a huge sophomore campaign at Oklahoma in 2016, as he racked up 1,274 rushing yards, 538 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns.

In his post-combine big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller rated Mixon as the No. 18 overall player and No. 2 running back in the draft.

Miller also projected Mixon to be selected in the second round of the draft with the No. 59 overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in his latest mock draft.