Joe Douglas and the Jets went big and bad with the 11th overall pick Thursday night when they took Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.
The Jets wanted a wall to keep Sam Darnold upright and Becton is as big as they come. Not only is Becton enormous and powerful, but he’s also nimble for his size; he ran a 5.10 40-yard dash time. The 6-foot-7, 364-pound behemoth should start immediately at left or right tackle on the Jets’ revamped offensive line responsible for protecting Sam Darnold.
“We’re so excited to add a guy this size and athletic ability,” Joe Douglas told reporters after making his first pick as a general manager. A guy we feel can fortify our front for the long term.”
Becton is an amazing talent but is incredibly raw. He only played in 73 true pass sets in Louisville’s play-action, screen-pass heavy offense at Louisville. He graded out as the 45th-best offensive tackle in FBS in 2019 with a 79.3 Pro Football Focus grade. Becton appears to be a great run-blocker, though, which should help Le’Veon Bell a lot in 2020. He could struggle at times early on but the potential is there for Becton to become the next great Jets’ offensive lineman.
Many will wonder why the Jets didn’t go with Tristian Wirfs, a more polished and quicker lineman than Becton who didn’t come with concerns over weight or a failed combine drug test. But Douglas didn’t pass up the opportunity to draft arguably the biggest player in the 2020 draft, and now Becton will be tasked with helping turn around one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.