18. Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
Height: 6’7″ Weight: 364
40-Yard Dash: 5.1 seconds
Bench Press: 23 reps
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Becton played right and left tackle, as well as center on the basketball team, at Virginia’s Highland Springs High School. He then chose Louisville over more than 25 other schools, including Michigan, Georgia, and Oregon. Over the last three seasons, he’s learned to thrive in a pro-style offense with varied blocking schemes.
“I take a whole lot of pride in it,” Becton said at the combine of zone blocking in particular. “I love outside zone and inside zone. It’s just fun running a man out of the play taking him where I want him to go… [People] don’t expect a person like me to move that well. So I think I surprised a lot of people.
Bu does he prefer a certain scheme?
“Nah, just run behind me. It don’t really matter what we run, as long as you’re running behind me.”
Stat to Know: Becton was indeed involved in a lot of zone blocking in 2019 — the Cardinals moved up from a 42% zone rate in 2018 to 81% in 2019. Last season, running backs running behind him averaged 2.9 yards per carry before contact and 5.6 yards per carry overall.
Strengths: Becton’s size makes itself readily apparent in several positive ways — when he squares to a defender, that defender tends to disappear for a second. Can absolutely erase pass-rushers as they move through the arc or when he’s blocking in space. Has more agility than you have a right to expect for a guy his size — he’s not Joe Thomas, but he makes it work with a good fundamental kick-step through the arc. Has a finishing mentality as a run-blocker, and there are examples of almost comical strength in which he just throws defenders aside. Massive wingspan allows him to correct his mistakes on the fly. Good enough at facing up against counters where this won’t be a major issue at the next level.
Weaknesses: Becton’s ability to rely on size and power can also be an issue — there are times when he wants to just throw edge-rushers aside instead of mirroring them through the down. That could present major issues at the next level against more advanced, practiced edge-rushers. He also needs to work on finishing with his drive blocks instead of just throwing himself at defenders.
Conclusion: Becton is the ultimate distillation of Bill Parcells’ “Planet Theory” in this draft class, in that there are only so many people on the planet who are this big and can be this agile, and you’d better get that guy when he comes around. Becton is by no means a perfect prospect, and if you’re looking for the next 310-pound blindside protector, he obviously isn’t your guy. But he is also far more than just a fat guy who moves around a lot — Becton has the athletic potential to be a dominant tackle at the next level, as long as he’s willing to expand his technique beyond the advantages his body gives him.
NFL Comparison: Bryant McKinnie. The 6-foot-8, 360-pound Miami alum was selected seventh overall in the 2002 draft by the Vikings, and played at a very high level for Minnesota and Baltimore over a 12-year career. Becton profiles similarly in his combination of unusual size and traits for the left tackle position.