Cross the defending champions off the list of potential destinations for Joe Mixon.
The Patriots will not consider drafting the former Oklahoma running back, according to the Boston Herald.
Mixon is one of the most talented rushers in the 2017 NFL Draft. However, he's also its most controversial prospect. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported in February that the former Sooners star was viewed as undraftable by many NFL teams.
Mixon punched a female OU student in 2014 and was charged with acts resulting in gross injury. The case was settled with a plea agreement, and Mixon, who was suspended for the 2014 season, served one year of probation, counseling, and 100 hours of community service.
He was barred from this year's NFL Scouting Combineunder a conduct policy, but has made the rounds since then, meeting with the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers, among other clubs. Lions GM Bob Quinn said at the combine that Mixon was on Detroit's draft board.
Per the Herald, Patriots owner Robert Kraft declined to address Mixon specifically this week, but said his policy on domestic violence goes back to 1996, when he demanded a Patriots draft pick, Christian Peter, be released days after the draft when he learned of domestic-violence allegations against Peter.
"While I believe in second chances and giving players an opportunity for redemption, I also believe that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right," Kraft told the Herald. "For me, personally, I believe that privilege is lost for men who have a history of abusing women."
Mixon slid out of the top five at running back in NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock's positional rankings last week and was moved to the special exceptions category.
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