Joe Mixon Says He's 'Honored' to Be Bengals Draft Pick, Talks 2014 Assault

Running back Joe Mixon said Friday night he was "thankful and very honored" to be selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft.

Katherine Terrell of ESPN passed along comments from the former Oklahoma rusher, who faced an uncertain draft status after surveillance video was released in December of a 2014 assault where he punched a woman.

"You know, I am still sitting here crying. I can't believe it. I can't believe it," Mixon said. "You know, I am thankful and very honored to be a part of—to be a Cincinnati Bengal."

The California native received a one-year suspension from the Sooners for his actions. He reached a plea agreement in the criminal case, accepting a one-year deferred sentence as part of the punishment in October 2014, and settled the civil case with the victim, Amelia Molitor, last week.

Mixon discussed the lasting impact the situation had on him and his plans for the future to prove he's changed in the three years since, per Terrell.

"It changed me a lot as a person, the way you think, the way you carry yourself, go about things," Mixon said. "I'm going to continue to keep doing the right thing around the community, on and off the field."

Meanwhile, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer noted Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis provided a detailed explanation about why they felt comfortable making the pick Friday night.

"We've done such a lot of work regarding Joe Mixon, throughout the entire process this year and based on all the time, all the research, we felt that we can continue to move forward," he said. "Joe's situation kind of came to a settlement in all ways this week, which also led us to feel better about the opportunity here to move forward. We have done all our due diligence we could do, time spent, interviewing people, everybody around him, everybody around his background, people that have coached at Oklahoma with insight regarding him and how he has carried himself since that day."

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Cincinnati was one of just four teams willing to take Mixon, based on an anonymous survey leading up to the draft.

The rookie running back will join a crowded Bengals depth chart at a position that already features Giovani Bernard, who's working his way back from an ACL injury, and Jeremy Hill.