Name: Mekhi Becton
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Louisville
Height: 6-7
Weight: 369
NFL Grade: 6.49 ("Boom or bust prospect")
Stats: Becton earned first-team All-ACC honors after starting 11 games at left tackle in his junior season at Louisville. In his first year with the Cardinals as a freshman, he started 10 games on the other side at right tackle as part of an offense that ranked third in the country thanks in large part to quarterback Lamar Jackson. The year in between, Becton started 11 games at left tackle and two at right. He won back-to-back state titles in high school at Highland Springs in Virginia.
He has a seven-foot wingspan and was a four-star recruit coming out of high school as the best offensive lineman in the state of Virginia. He also played basketball in high school and was a standout center due to his height.
Comments: Becton is absolutely massive, even in comparison to his offensive tackle counterparts in this year's draft. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says that despite that size, he has, "[…] surprisingly nimble feet and functional athleticism to handle either tackle spot." Unsurprisingly, Becton is good against the run, probably just purely because of how much space he takes up. And Zierlein says his technique is better than expected in pass protection. Part of that is the fact that he has long arms that allow him to recover quickly, even when initially giving up leverage.
Watching his highlights, he's supremely effective but his pad level does look a little high. Perhaps as a result, Zierlein says one of Becton's weaknesses are his high hands, which 'diminish leverage at the point of attack.' But it really doesn't seem to affect him all that much. He's still extremely solid. And he's able to maintain his ground while staying square in his blocks. Zierlein warns that his weight could end up being a detriment if it ever gets at all out of control, but an NFL strength and conditioning program should be enough to prevent that.
