Column

Mekhi Becton’s realistic yet lofty rookie New York Jets goals fit his profile

05/18/2020

New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton announces realistic yet lofty rookie goals that fit his profile perfectly.

Big man. Big goals. Mekhi Becton would not have it any other way. After all, he “moves people like furniture.”

New York Jets assistant general manager Rex Hogan, who crafted that perfectly-fitting sentence around his team’s new offensive tackle, would probably agree with the kid’s self-announced rookie goals.

“I want to start as a rookie and I want to make the playoffs,” Becton told reporters on a Monday afternoon Zoom meeting. “Those are my rookie goals.”

Mekhi Becton's rookie goals:

“I want to start as a rookie and I want to make the playoffs. Those are my rookie goals.” #Jets

— Robby Sabo (@RobbySabo) May 18, 2020

First up is the “starting as a rookie” goal.

This one shouldn’t be a problem. If the Jets are still forcing this guy in the starting lineup by mid-August, or even worse, not starting him at all by the time Week 3 of the preseason rolls around, the alarm bells will pop off on Joe Douglas with reckless abandon.

Considering his athleticism and size, it’s tough to imagine a scenario in which he’s not starting at one of the two tackles. And this is key: Becton didn’t say, “I want to start at left tackle.” Perhaps it was a subtle oversight on his part. Perhaps not. Either way, the kid wants to start immediately, far from a lofty goal for the 11th pick in the NFL draft and extremely smart not to specify the side.

The second and most important is the playoff mention.

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