The New York Jets need an offensive tackle in the 2020 NFL Draft, and Mekhi Becton is one of the top four they should have their eyes on.
Mekhi Becton is a mountain of a man. His official size at the combine was 6’7, 364 lbs. He also wowed the crowd at the NFL Combine with a 5.1 40-yard dash. There’s a big need for the Jets to draft an offensive tackle even if they sign one in free agency, and if he falls to them, the pick becomes a no-brainer, even if CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy falls to them too.
Let’s take a look at what makes Becton a no-brainer pick.
Strengths
At his size, his biggest strength is obvious: strength. He played bully at Louisville. His strength and size was his ultimate advantage. Becton ran over the opposition very easily. He is also more athletic than most his size. So, that’s an added plus.
Biggest weakness
When it comes to technique consistency still needs work. While improved from his sophomore campaign, his punch and hand placement is still erratic. With the right coaching at the NFL level, he can develop more consistent hand placement and punch. He will need that going up against more athletic and stronger players on a week-in, week-out basis in the league.
Grade
Even though he still has some work to do, it would be a surprise for Becton to fall to No. 11. Guys with the combination of size and athleticism like him don’t come around very often, and a team that needs offensive line help will likely scoop him up early. He’s undoubtedly a top-10 pick.
Jets fit
There are two ways he fits the Jets. The first is obvious. He fills a giant hole on the offensive line. The second is that with his athleticism and strength he provides the Jets with more options in the running game and passing game.
They need to protect Sam Darnold at all costs. With his strength, he can set the edge in the passing game. Also, the Jets can open up their running game to the outside more with his athletic ability.
Pro Football Focus has noted that Becton hasn’t played in “true pass-rush snaps” — meaning most of the snaps are either play action or RPO — but that’s irrelevant. His run blocking ability and his hands are good enough.
The league is becoming more and more of an RPO/play action league. In 2019, 28.1 percent of the attempts in the league came from RPO and play action. The play-action drop back percentage is also up.
He’s going to be a seamless fit for this line, especially if he makes the necessary fixes with his hand placement. He’s the kind of tackle the Jets need.
