2020 NFL Draft: New York Jets roll the dice with Mekhi Becton at No. 11

The New York Jets take a big-time gamble by taking the mammoth of a man Mekhi Becton with the 11th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Jets needed to give Sam Darnold a serviceable offensive lineman that can protect his blindside for the next decade. The question for everybody is if Louisville offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was the right answer. Let’s dive in.

Mekhi Becton has enormous potential and could very well be the guy to solidify this offensive line. He’s a big human being at 6-foot-7 and 369 pounds, yet he has the athletic ability that you just do not see at that size. He has questions whether or not he truly loves football and does tend to take some plays off. However, when Becton finishes, he finished hard.

I challenge you right now to turn on his highlight tape and not get pumped. He will manhandle edge rushers and it doesn’t matter if they are speed or power rushers, he will put them in the dirt. The problem is that you just don’t know when he’ll take a play off.

The other issue I had was who else was available on the board. Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs, who is my number one rated tackle in this class, was there for the taking. I will have to trust general manager Joe Douglas and believe that he sees something special in this kid. Becton has probably the highest ceiling of all of the offensive tackles in this class, but he’s also a very scary prospect to take this high.

I’ll give this grade a solid B+. They addressed a dire need and still took one of the top four tackles in the 2020 NFL Draft. The New York Jets went into today knowing that they had to do something about their abysmal offensive line.

Also, let’s not forget that Le’Veon Bell is also on the roster and this will directly impact how he performs this season. Last year, there were next to no running lanes, however with the mammoth of a man at left tackle, he should see some bigger holes to run through.