New York Jets tackle Mekhi Becton appears to be getting into great shape with training camp only a few weeks away.
Mekhi Becton‘s NFL future is going to heavily depend on his durability. He missed two games in his 2020 rookie season and played less than 100% of the New York Jets‘ offensive snaps in six others.
All told, he played only eight games from start to finish.
Becton missed all of the Jets’ OTA and minicamp practices with a foot injury, but he appears to be making good progress as he attempts to get healthy in time for the start of training camp in late July.
The Louisville product and Virginia native showed off an impressively slender frame in recent workout footage via his Twitter account.
Telling y’all 😭🥴 pic.twitter.com/TI1tMPHC8m
— Trending Topic 🤷🏾♂️ (@BigTicket73) July 3, 2021
There are not many major on-field question marks for Becton, as he has already established himself as a good starter at the very least while boasting the potential to become much more. Becton was one of the better tackles in the NFL as just a 21-year-old rookie, as evidenced by his solid 74.4 overall grade at Pro Football Focus. His ceiling is seemingly limitless when you consider his unique athleticism while carrying such a massive frame.
That massive frame has naturally been seen by many as a potential cause for Becton’s injury struggles. He was listed at 364 pounds going into the 2020 season and reportedly approached the 380-pound mark by the end of the season. Becton was disciplined by the team for his weight issues, according to the New York Post.
Head coach Robert Saleh spoke about Becton’s weight when asked about it in early June.
“Think about it, their body is their moneymaker. The amount of investment that you put into your body is the amount that it will give back,” Saleh said, with Jets X-Factor on the Zoom session.
“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 learn how to eat right, work out right, rest right, regenerate right, staying hydrated, and all those different things that lead to longevity in this league.”
Saleh added that the Jets are happy with the progress that Becton is making with his weight management.
“Mekhi is one of those. He’s a young man. He’s a very talented young man. He’s a very large young man and he’s learning every day on what it takes to be a professional and how to make that next step,” Saleh said. “We got a lot of faith in him. He’s doing all the right things right now and we’re excited to get him to the training camp and we get to work with him.”
Becton spoke in early June about the work he is putting in to improve his conditioning.
“I’ve just been doing extra conditioning,” Becton said. “Biking on my own, running on my own, jogging on my own, walking on my own— just doing the little things that matter like abs and everything. Just doing the extra stuff that I need to do.”
The Jets begin training camp on July 28. Becton is expected to be ready to go, Ravishing Rick Rude theme music and all.
"Ravishing" Mekhi Becton.
(via TrendingTopic73) pic.twitter.com/CX0EDspiLb— Jets X-Factor (@jetsxfactor) July 3, 2021
Great to see dedication to his craft.. Those arms are long
What a refreshing change from DT Wilkerson