Getty Mekhi Becton of the Louisville Cardinals
Fans weren’t able to boo the Jets’ selection in person this year but perhaps they would have cheered for the pick at No. 11.
Mekhi Becton was expected to go in the top half of the draft and New York will happily take him as they need someone to protect Sam Darnold’s blindside for years to come.
Becton, who is listed at 364 lbs, ran a sub-5 40 at the combine. He is a former basketball high school player with exceptional footwork, though he’ll need some time to get up to speed in the NFL.
Becton is the third left tackle to come off the board on draft night. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas went No. 4 to the Giants and Alabama’s Jedrick Wills went No. 10 to the Browns.
Jets Out of the Trent Williams Sweepstakes
New York’s needs on the offensive line were apparent this past season. They could certainly benefit from adding a premier left tackle and the franchise was rumored to be interested in Redskins LT Trent Williams earlier in the offseason. “I’d really watch the Jets,” NBC Sports Peter King said. “It makes so much sense with the Jets.”
New York is likely out of the Williams sweepstakes. They spent heavily this offseason tackle George Fant, giving him a three-year, $27 million deal. However, they could easily insert him at right tackle with the athletic rookie coming to town.
More Draft Buzz
No surprises at the top of the draft with the Bengals taking Joe Burrow at No. 1 overall. There were rumblings that the Dolphins would attempt to move up and select the LSU quarterback, though Cincy was happy to hang onto the pick.
Miami landed their quarterback of the future in Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick. They have long been linked to Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama, though recently, many connected experts have been reporting that Miami would take Justin Herbert out of Oregon over Tua.
Tua’s medical grades with the Dolphins were recently leaked. The Alabama quarterback passed his physical with the team, brushing off rumors that Miami was the team in the top-10 that “flunked” him. He’ll likely begin his career behind former Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is expected to be Miami’s Week 1 starter.
More on the NFL:
Gronk Cites NFL’s Marijuana Policy as Key Reason for Return