New York Jets’ Mekhi Becton is on the comeback trail
On Wednesday, New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton shared a photo of himself at the gym on his Instagram account. The 23-year-old looks to be in amazing shape as he embarks on the road to what has the potential to be one of the most inspiring comeback stories in recent NFL history.
Becton was selected by the Jets with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. At just 21 years old, the Louisville product showed superstar-level talent in his rookie season. Becton used his 6-foot-7, 367-pound frame to obliterate defenders in the run game on a consistent basis, and in pass protection, his technique looked a lot more NFL-ready than many analysts expected. Solely judging by his on-field performance, Becton’s rookie year was a smashing success.
Mekhi Becton's standout game against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram's Chargers in 2020.
0 pressures allowed on 34 pass-blocking snaps to go with great run blocking.#Jets pic.twitter.com/TCPVfZtgT9
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) February 23, 2022
However, injuries plagued Becton’s debut campaign as he missed two games and frequently came off the field in the games he did play. Becton played 100% of the Jets’ offensive snaps in only eight of the 14 games he played.
Since then, Becton has been the unfortunate victim of two season-ending knee injuries, preventing him from building on the potential he showed as a rookie. He was knocked out for all of 2021 in the third quarter of the season opener and suffered another season-ending knee injury during a practice in August 2022.
It appears Becton is doing everything within his power to ensure he can stay healthy in 2023 and prove to the Jets that he can be the franchise left tackle they expected him to be when they drafted him.
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He obviously worked hard and he looks great, I hope he can make it all the way back.