Jets select OL Mekhi Becton in first round of NFL Draft

Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets.

The New York Jets selected Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday evening.

Becton (6-7, 364 pounds) ran a 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds and bench-pressed 225 pounds 23 times at the combine earlier this offseason. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has compared Becton to Bryant McKinnie, who was a first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

“He has the potential to be a good starter on either side, but the weight creates an obvious low-floor scenario,” Zierlein wrote of Becton on NFL.com before the draft.

Becton showed off his versatility in college, spending time both at left tackle and right tackle. He earned first-team All-ACC honors after starting at left tackle during the 2019 season.

Becton was the fourth-best offensive tackle in this year’s class, according to Luke Easterling’s rankings for Draft Wire. Georiga’s Andrew Thomas, Alabama’s Jedrick Wills and Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs were the only offensive tackles that Draft Wire had ranked higher than Becton.

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