Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green knows a thing or two about sports' hardest hitters, as reflected in his interview with Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon. In an episode of the podcast “Why Is Draymond Green Talking about Football?” the RB sat down with Green and Jordan Schultz to list down his picks of the NFL's hardest hitters.
Based on their conversation, the RB's picks are, in order:
- Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
- Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts
- Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
- Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders
- Derwin James, Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
In response, Draymond Green quoted the original post on Joe Mixon's picks and replied with: “😤😤😤😤”
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) September 16, 2024
😤😤😤😤
Who are the hardest hitters in football?! #Texans RB Joe Mixon ranked his top 5 for @Money23Green and me. 😤
The Warriors' hardest hitter
The Texans squeaked by the Colts 27-29 in Week 1, thanks to quarterback C. J. Stroud and Mixon's strong play. Stroud went 24 of 32, with 234 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Mixon had 30 carries for 159 yards, with one touchdown.
While the Texans initially pursued Saquon Barkley, the former Giants running back eventually signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Still, they upgraded their roster by trading for the former Bengals running back.
Moreover, the Bengals were set to cut him from the roster, so he must have been thrilled at getting dealt to another team for a chance to reset his value and earn his next big contract.
Taking advantage of the trade, Mixon signed a three-year, $27 million extension after the deal. His stellar performance in Week 1 should have also made fans happy with the deal.
Meanwhile, as mentioned, Draymond Green is no stranger to hard hits, even earning him a reputation as a dirty player. Last June, for instance, sports analyst and noted LeBron James hater Skip Bayless issued a savage take on the Warriors' defensive anchor.
“Draymond Green is, no exaggeration, the dirtiest player in NBA history by far,” Bayless said on his eponymous show. “At his core, deepest down, he's been a dirty basketball player with one or two screws loose. Since he entered the league, Draymond Green has been ejected a league-high 20 times. He's been called for technical fouls 151 times.”
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Draymond's hardest hits
Green also helped break up the Warriors' 2022 championship squad, after punching Jordan Poole in the face during an October practice, destroying team chemistry until their elimination at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.
Besides the infamous punch, the Warriors forward also struck Jusuf Nurkic and put Rudy Gobert in an MMA-style chokehold, and the NBA suspended Draymond indefinitely.
He also went to therapy during his suspension, resetting his mindset and focus.
Now, the Warriors will need Draymond Green to be on top of his game. The team has lost Klay Thompson and failed to acquire big-name players in the offseason. Their dynasty is no more, but they still have the pieces to contend for the playoffs.
