The first pick of the Joe Douglas era went as expected.
With the board falling in the Jets’ favor, they went with an offensive lineman that can play both tackle positions in Mekhi Becton. Becton was the only one of the top offensive tackles to visit the Jets multiple times in the pre-draft process before visits were shut down due to the pandemic.
Becton comes in at 6-foot-7, 364 pounds. At that listed weight, he will be the second-heaviest player in the NFL now that he was drafted by Gang Green. Only the Raiders’ Trent Brown (380 pounds) is heavier.
Becton is a mauler in the run game. He is an excellent fit for the outside-zone running scheme that the Jets want to establish with Le’Veon Bell and he has the arm length and leverage to complement his size.
With that said, let’s get to know the Jets’ newest first-round pick.
Big-Bodied
Mekhi Becton has always been big.
The new Jets left tackle played his final season at Louisville at 352 pounds and showed up to the NFL Combine measuring at 6-foot-7, 364 pounds. Long before that, playing youth football, opposing coaches and parents wanted to see his birth certificate before games when he was about 10. He only got bigger, enjoying a five-inch growth spurt in his formative teenage years.
When he finally steps foot on the field for the Jets, he’ll be one of the biggest offensive linemen in the NFL, but he’s quite nimble for his size.
Mom’s Home Cooking
Mekhi Becton’s mother, Semone Becton, is a caterer who specializes in soul food.
Becton blames her cooking of mac and cheese, fried chicken and collard greens for why he’s so big. Becton himself likes to cook and drew some bizarre criticism during the draft process because of it.
An anonymous scout told The Athletic‘s Bob McGinn that he voted him as the fifth lineman in the draft (in a group of four highly-ranked players, per general consensus) “because he loves to cook and eat more than he loves frigging football.”
Obviously, there are concerns to be had for players who weigh 360 pounds, but let’s not knock the guy for having an interest outside of football.
Combine Warrior
Becton ran an official 40-yard dash time of 5.10.
He’s the heaviest player to run a sub-5.2 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine since 2006, per ESPN. Dallas Cowboys DT Dontari Poe may have him beat, though, running a 4.98 40-yard dash while weighing 346 pounds.
Either way, Becton is a rare blend of nimble of massive, and that’s going to help New York in the trenches.
Tremendous Athleticism
Before Mekhi Becton was mauling players in the run game, he was manning the center position on basketball courts. Some compared him to a young Shaquille O’Neal. As a 330-pound high schooler, Becton would catch the ball, spin and then throw down a dunk.
Obviously, Becton went with football, but his sheer athleticism had teams in awe.
For someone his size, Becton has incredible footwork and is surprisingly agile. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Becton “measured with a mere 17 percent body fat.” That’s rather absurd considering his body mass, but it only goes to show how athletic he is.
Flagged Drug Test
Mekhi Becton had a drug test flagged at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
That didn’t seem to bother the Jets and Becton didn’t exactly fall in the draft. New York ended up picking Becton over Iowa’s Tristan Wirds. With no prior failed tests or substance abuse issues at Louisville, this shouldn’t be a problem for the Jets’ new draft pick.
Becton will go into Stage 1 of the league’s intervention program for no more than 60 days under the NFL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement. If Becton is not flagged again within those next 60 days, he would assume the same status as players who have never been referred to the program.
