Most underrated NFL players at each position

#2 Runningback – Joe Mixon

It definitely takes something out of this statement of Joe Mixon being the most underrated running back, when Bill Belichick says during the week that he considers the Bengals standout “probably the best back in the league”, but I had this name written down before that and I still don’t know how good this kid is.

Obviously, not a lot of people are watching a 1-14 Bengals squad without A.J. Green and that has brought Andy Dalton back off the bench, but this young man is a rising star. Watching him come out of Oklahoma back in 2017 with some off-field concerns, I thought people didn’t look at him enough because of the guys who were selected ahead of him – Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook. This guy had some Barry Sanders-esque sequences for the Sooners at 225 pounds. I was highly intrigued by his combination of elusiveness, power and simply feel for the game.

Mixon came into the league as an all-round three-down back, who could run any scheme as well as protect the passer and contribute in the passing game as much more than a pure check-down option. After a rather forgettable rookie campaign, where the Bengals went 7-9 and had five games of scoring less than ten points, the young man went for over 1400 scrimmage yards and nine TDs, while averaging 4.9 yards per carry.

This year Mixon is once again stuck in a situation, where the team and especially the offense have really struggled while running behind one of the worst O-lines in the NFL. Still, he's been one of the bright spots with his physical running style to break tackles and before battling the flu last week, he had gone for 342 combined yards against the Browns and Patriots.

Honorable mentions: Austin Ekeler, Philip Lindsay, and Kenyan Drake