Add the Saints to the list of teams considering the controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon.
“We had a good visit, and that’s really all I want to say about that at this time,” Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis told the Times-Picayune of Mixon. “It’s just part of the process.”
Loomis declined to answer when asked directly whether Mixon is on the Saints’ draft board, but it’s safe to say they wouldn’t have brought him in for a visit if they weren’t considering drafting him.
Mixon is a first-round talent who probably won’t go in the first round because of an ugly incident in 2014, when he punched a woman and broke bones in her face. That incident, which was caught on tape, will be shown repeatedly on the local news in whatever city drafts Mixon, and some teams don’t want that kind of publicity.
Loomis said the Saints are always considering off-field issues, not just with Mixon but with every draft prospect.
“We look at every aspect of these guys, and it’s important decision-making for us,” he said. “And so we gather a lot of information and examine all of it, and then make our decisions.”
Whatever team selects Mixon, it will be one of the most-scrutinized picks in this year’s draft.