Getty New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton giving a defensive lineman the business!
Weight concerns? What weight concerns?
Rewinding to over a year ago prior to the 2020 NFL draft, one of the concerns about offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was his weight.
During his time at Louisville, Becton showed flashes of being a future All-Pro at the position. Although his weight was always towing a very dangerous line between imposing physical size and being overweight.
Ultimately the New York Jets took the plunge with the No. 11 overall pick and selected the big man to fill the massive void at left tackle.
Becton wowed during his rookie season with his unusually rare offensive lineman SportsCenter highlight plays. He displayed the rare gifts that intrigued the Jets brass in the first place. Yet he also missed two games officially and multiple portions of several other contests throughout the 2020 campaign with injuries.
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A Subtle Shot Across the Bow
Earlier this offseason new head coach Robert Saleh during his media availability sent a subtle yet direct shot at Becton about taking care of his body:
“The amount of investment that you put into your body is the amount that it’ll give back. So that’s part of the learning progression of young men. They’ve got to learn how to take care of their bodies, they’ve got to eat right, workout right, rest right, regenerate right.”
When healthy and on the field, Becton has proven in a very short amount of time that he belongs in the NFL. Although his biggest enemy doesn’t wear a different colored jersey, it’s himself.
Part of making it at this level is becoming a professional. Putting the right food and drink in your body and treating it like a temple. That’s important for any player, especially one of Becton’s size.
To be 6-foot-7 and 365 pounds it takes extra attention and care to make sure that vehicle is a well-oiled machine.
It seems like Becton is finally figuring that out in his first true offseason as a Jet. Remember last year due to the COVID pandemic, there wasn’t an offseason in the traditional sense.
Get Hyped Jets Fans, Becton Looks Absolutely Ripped
Telling y’all 😭🥴
Becton tweeted out that he was feeling, “reeeaaaall swolioli” and shouted out his coach/trainer Duke Manyweather. He later responded, “show the people what you mean” and thankfully he did because we received the greatest hype video ever.
While only 15 seconds in length, it was more than long enough to establish a slimmed-down yet jacked version of the Jets’ former first-round pick.
Becton has missed most of the offseason with a plantar fasciitis issue. Reportedly the Jets played it safe with their big man out of an abundance of caution. Although there was a lot of optimism from the building that he’d be ready to go for training camp at the end of July.
Becton is the straw that stirs the drink for this offensive line. While the entire group has been upgraded this offseason, none of them have as high of a ceiling as the former Louisville product.
He is tasked with taking the next step in his development and protecting the blindside of Zach Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
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