New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas bets on Mekhi Becton, the nasty offensive tackle they call the Big Ticket.
There is nothing safe about Mekhi Becton. Unlike D’Brickashaw Ferguson nearly a decade and a half prior, Becton comes to the party with serious question marks. He possesses size coupled with raw athletic ability (for that size) that’s impossible to come by—unless you look to the NFL.
Do not automatically equate “offensive line” with “safe” (at least not with this monster of a man), despite the position’s penchant for coming through over the long haul in the NFL draft, especially the first round.
Safe isn’t what Joe Douglas was after. At least it did not shake out that way the moment Roger Goodell announced the Louisville beast’s name at No. 11. Douglas is betting on the New York Jets’ next big ticket and his nastiness.
“We love the physical traits he brings (and the toughness traits),” Douglas said on the post-Round 1 conference call.
Clocking in at 6-foot-7 and 364 pounds, this kid’s collegiate tape provides fodder. Any man lined up in his way is suddenly not only moved off the ball, but he’s also planted into the ground. As assistant general manager Rex Hogan classically said on the same call, “He moves people like furniture.”
No one offensive tackle possesses more of a ceiling than this kid. He has the chance to be a once-in-a-generation-type NFL tackle. Possessing a 7-foot wingspan, Becton—at 360-plus pounds—ran a mind-boggling 5.1-second 40-yard-dash at the combine.
Remember, Douglas is a madman as it pertains to intangibles. Since arriving in Florham Park a little under a year ago, G.M. Joe has discussed sparking up a culture with the right players—guys who love the game and possess the right stuff from within.
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