Mekhi Becton OT Louisville

[TheMo]

9 hours ago, RobR said:

This makes absolutely no sense. So he's a fat slob at 370 but if he gets into shape he won't be able too maintain that weight. And FTR if you watched the video I posted above he played at 350lbs. last year and he's far from a fat slob.

If he played at that weight his BMI is very close to Aaron Donald who I think we can all agree is not a fat slob...

[RobR]

31 minutes ago, TheMo said:

If he played at that weight his BMI is very close to Aaron Donald who I think we can all agree is not a fat slob...

Fat slob that is either 19 or 20 years old in that pic.

[sec101row23]

Here is the Notre Dame game.  This guy does not look like a “fat slob”.   I think by the time the draft comes around, after all the Pre-draft workouts, we are going to be begging that Becton still be available at 11.  

[Paradis]

46 minutes ago, sec101row23 said:

Here is the Notre Dame game.  This guy does not look like a “fat slob”.   I think by the time the draft comes around, after all the Pre-draft workouts, we are going to be begging that Becton still be available at 11.  

As someone who’s a little ignorant to the technical nuances of the position - I don’t need thorough breakdown to see this guy tossing fools around like dirty laundry....

So why is just now becoming a thing? Why hasn’t he been sitting comfortably atop of boards?

[sec101row23]

4 minutes ago, Paradis said:

As someone who’s a little ignorant to the technical nuances of the position - I don’t need thorough breakdown to see this guy tossing fools around like dirty laundry....

So why is just now becoming a thing? Why hasn’t he been sitting comfortably atop of boards?

Mainly, because he played at Louisville.  Same reason that Josh Jones from Houston is just now becoming a thing.  Wills from Alabama, Thomas from Georgia, Wirfs from Iowa, all more visible programs to the online “draft community”. 

[Paradis]

1 hour ago, sec101row23 said:

Mainly, because he played at Louisville.  Same reason that Josh Jones from Houston is just now becoming a thing.  Wills from Alabama, Thomas from Georgia, Wirfs from Iowa, all more visible programs to the online “draft community”. 

I guess that was the obvious answer, was wondering if we had any other theories out there. Surprising that he can manhandle opposition against Notre Dame and still be “sleeper “material up until recently

[derp]

I think kind of similar to what bitonti posted - and I'm not sure he's necessarily wrong. Listed at 370 - that's not within the typical NFL offensive tackle archetype. Even if he played at 350 - people aren't typically sifting through interviews to find that and 350 is huge. Big offensive linemen play at like 330 most of the time. And often guys who don't fit the typical mold get discounted because it's easier than trying to figure out if they're the exception.

[jetstream23]

21 minutes ago, Paradis said:

I guess that was the obvious answer, was wondering if we had any other theories out there. Surprising that he can manhandle opposition against Notre Dame and still be “sleeper “material up until recently

Probably because there isn't a vacuum of prospects at OT that would pull him up like Jonah Williams last year.  I think when you already have 2, 3, 4 guys considered Top 15 talents at a position then the media, draft community, etc. isn't really starving to pull other guys up and we don't hear about a guy like Becton.

I like him, he seems huge and fairly nimble, but not overweight or fat for his size.  He seems fairly well proportioned.  I doubt his size and strength will be an issue.  The questions for me will be his technical skills, mirroring ability, understanding of the game and ability to mitigate countermoves, inside spins, etc. Ironically, being so big and tall, one of the things I'd want to make sure can't defeat him is a smaller, speedy pass rusher who can bend and dip under/past him.

If he executes NFL-level OLine drills competently at the Combine then I think that will solidify this guy as a Top 15.  He certainly has things to work on, but he doesn't seem to be a project.

[bitonti]

2 hours ago, derp said:

I think kind of similar to what bitonti posted - and I'm not sure he's necessarily wrong. Listed at 370 - that's not within the typical NFL offensive tackle archetype. Even if he played at 350 - people aren't typically sifting through interviews to find that and 350 is huge. Big offensive linemen play at like 330 most of the time. And often guys who don't fit the typical mold get discounted because it's easier than trying to figure out if they're the exception.

Jon Ogden is the Becton comp I can imagine for a "best case" but he was closer to 6'9" 340.

6'7" 370 feels ominous from a human anatomy perspective 

guys over 350 often have back issues, joint issues, stamina issues, heart issues, they don't have long careers 

marcus McNeill is probably a fair comp 6'8" 340 even that was "too big" played 82 games total over 5 years 

Orlando Brown 6'8" 344 and his dad was a Pro even he fell to the 3rd round 

If he's off the board by 5 that's awesome news for the Jets, I suspect they want a Josh Jones type   

[derp]

4 minutes ago, bitonti said:

Jon Ogden is the Becton comp I can imagine for a "best case" but he was closer to 6'9" 340.

6'7" 370 feels ominous from a human anatomy perspective 

guys over 350 often have back issues, joint issues, stamina issues, heart issues, they don't have long careers 

marcus McNeill is probably a fair comp 6'8" 340 even that was "too big" played 82 games total over 5 years 

Orlando Brown 6'8" 344 and his dad was a Pro even he fell to the 3rd round 

If he's off the board by 5 that's awesome news for the Jets, I suspect they want a Josh Jones type   

Trent Brown is another - round 7 though. Combine will be interesting for Becton. I think he has a really, really wide range of outcomes for where he goes in the draft.

Wholeheartedly agree about the suspicion they want a Josh Jones type. Board wants a trade down every year, this year bet Douglas passes on one of the top four tackles to move down and gets killed.

Do think Wirfs round 1 and a Jackson/Jones/Peart/Charles later (who knows where those guys land) could be in play as well bring them in and figure out who between those guys and Edoga plays where.

[bitonti]

13 minutes ago, derp said:

 Board wants a trade down every year, this year bet Douglas passes on one of the top four tackles to move down and gets killed.

Do think Wirfs round 1 and a Jackson/Jones/Peart/Charles later (who knows where those guys land) could be in play as well bring them in and figure out who between those guys and Edoga plays where.

I'm assuming Wirfs will be gone. I also don't think Thomas or Wilks will be there but neither fit the Gase mold. 

it's funny every year the board wants a trade down but honestly with Jordan Love in the mix (and OAKLAND is his floor at 12)

this could be the year they actually trade down (and why not?)  

If could drop a couple spots still find Josh Jones for LT and Cushenberry for center and they can sell it as Brick and Nick part II -  Joe Douglas will be paraded through the streets once the fans learn who they are 

 

[Lith]

3 hours ago, Paradis said:

I guess that was the obvious answer, was wondering if we had any other theories out there. Surprising that he can manhandle opposition against Notre Dame and still be “sleeper “material up until recently

Theory I heard the other day is that he was not expected to come out early.  Media draft types did not follow him that closely during the season thinking he would return for his senior year.  Now that he is coming our, folks are looking at the tape and like what they see; hence, a late entry to the conversation.

[Philc1]

So being bigger and stronger is a bad thing now?

[section314]

16 hours ago, Philc1 said:

So being bigger and stronger is a bad thing now?

Only if they test for Roids.?

[Philc1]

1 hour ago, section314 said:

Only if they test for Roids.?

 

[Adoni Beast]

Out of the 4 LT 1st round prospects, he has the highest ceiling and lowest floor.

But I don’t see him as a huge gamble. I really hope he’s there at 11, but come draft time I seriously doubt he will be.

This guy will be a monster.

[jetstream23]

On 2/1/2020 at 2:14 PM, Adoni Beast said:

Out of the 4 LT 1st round prospects, he has the highest ceiling and lowest floor.

But I don’t see him as a huge gamble. I really hope he’s there at 11, but come draft time I seriously doubt he will be.

This guy will be a monster.

Good point.  The real question just might be what if he doesn't succeed as a LT?  For some guys who becomes busts they end up out of the league and that turns into a completely wasted Draft pick.  But if Becton's downside is that he has to slide to OG or RT, that could be an acceptable risk to take knowing that his upside is becoming a franchise LT.

[Adoni Beast]

22 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

Good point.  The real question just might be what if he doesn't succeed as a LT?  For some guys who becomes busts they end up out of the league and that turns into a completely wasted Draft pick.  But if Becton's downside is that he has to slide to OG or RT, that could be an acceptable risk to take knowing that his upside is becoming a franchise LT.

If he becomes a long term premier RT, then it was a successful draft pick. RT in today’s NFL is almost as important as LT.

Teams use shotgun for the majority of their snaps, eliminating the blind spot for right handed throwers. 

Defenses have adjusted and line up their best pass rushers on either left or right, whichever gives them the best mismatch. You have to have good protection for both sides.

[David Harris]

From my know-nothing perspective my order of preference is: 

 

Wills

Wirfs

(Jeudy then Ceedee)

Becton

Thomas

[BCJet]

16 hours ago, Adoni Beast said:

Out of the 4 LT 1st round prospects, he has the highest ceiling and lowest floor.

But I don’t see him as a huge gamble. I really hope he’s there at 11, but come draft time I seriously doubt he will be.

This guy will be a monster.

As far as his floor, when I think of OT prospects (and im no expert) Id guess that size, strength, quickness and temperament are what makes a player.

Becton has the temperament to succeed in the NFL, thats not a worry.  He has insane strength and his size/wingspan will make him difficult to get around - so unless he is so slow that can't get out of his stance then he should have a pretty high floor

[GREENBEAN]

On 1/25/2020 at 3:06 PM, Beerfish said:

I do not believe that Tua will go before our pick.

I also think we will be getting calls for him at that point.

That would be perfect. I don't agree that he will slide that far, but it would be fantastic if he did.  I could see Indy, Tampa, Denver, Jax, and Tenn all considering what a move up to 11 would look like should a guy like Tua make it out of the top ten. 

I'd take a second to flip with the first 3, but it would take a hell of a lot more to move down further. Especially is Becton or Wirfs are still on the board. 

would you consider it? 

[GREENBEAN]

On 1/29/2020 at 1:35 PM, derp said:

Trent Brown is another - round 7 though. Combine will be interesting for Becton. I think he has a really, really wide range of outcomes for where he goes in the draft.

Wholeheartedly agree about the suspicion they want a Josh Jones type. Board wants a trade down every year, this year bet Douglas passes on one of the top four tackles to move down and gets killed.

Do think Wirfs round 1 and a Jackson/Jones/Peart/Charles later (who knows where those guys land) could be in play as well bring them in and figure out who between those guys and Edoga plays where.

I would love to win some sort of contest to be in the war room during the first day of the draft. To see the bog board and how they have their tiers broken down would be the best!   

If Bechton, who I thought has gotten down to 355 lbs, or Wirfs is still on the board and Douglas accepts a trade down to grab the likes of Peart, I would be disappointed.  It's crazy. I really want a trade down every year. I'm one of those guys, but not at the expense of losing out on a first tier left tackle.  I wonder how JD has them broken down. Are Jones and Jackson in the same tier as Wirfs and Thomas?  If that were the case, it would be great to gain more capital and still nab one of the top linemen on our board. 

[kdels62]

10 hours ago, GREENBEAN said:

I would love to win some sort of contest to be in the war room during the first day of the draft. To see the bog board and how they have their tiers broken down would be the best!   

If Bechton, who I thought has gotten down to 355 lbs, or Wirfs is still on the board and Douglas accepts a trade down to grab the likes of Peart, I would be disappointed.  It's crazy. I really want a trade down every year. I'm one of those guys, but not at the expense of losing out on a first tier left tackle.  I wonder how JD has them broken down. Are Jones and Jackson in the same tier as Wirfs and Thomas?  If that were the case, it would be great to gain more capital and still nab one of the top linemen on our board. 

I feel like if you end up with Wirfs or Thomas sitting on the board you have to make the pick. They're studs, guaranteed. Wirfs can play any position on that line besides center and Thomas is a prototype left tackle. Take them if theyre there. 

[GREENBEAN]

1 hour ago, kdels62 said:

I feel like if you end up with Wirfs or Thomas sitting on the board you have to make the pick. They're studs, guaranteed. Wirfs can play any position on that line besides center and Thomas is a prototype left tackle. Take them if theyre there. 

I feel the same way. It's going to be interesting to see what JD is made of during the draft. Does he stick to grabbing the guy he wants or does he aggressively trade down thinking the next batch of guys is just as good?  Does he go offensive line like we all think or is he gonna pull a switcharoo and grab a friggin linebacker or DE?  

For my money, I'm hoping we grab one of the top 4 tackles of Thomas, Wirfs, Bechton or maybe Wills or WR Cee dee Lamb or Tee Higgins. I'm not so much a Juedy guy. 

If we can trade down and still grab one of those guys, all the better but I'd be nervous to do it. 

[RobR]

I wouldn't be surprised if Becton goes Top 5 overall because the sky is the limit for this kid and he knows it. He's going too kill the combine in every metric available for someone that large. 

[section314]

8 hours ago, RobR said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Becton goes Top 5 overall because the sky is the limit for this kid and he knows it. He's going too kill the combine in every metric available for someone that large. 

Rob....is the LSU C now considered the #1 guy at that position?

[Doggin94it]

On 2/4/2020 at 2:19 AM, David Harris said:

From my know-nothing perspective my order of preference is: 

 

Wills

Wirfs

(Jeudy then Ceedee)

Becton

Thomas

Given the state of our OL and the relative difficulty of finding LTs v. WRs (in both the draft and FA), drafting either WR over Becton or Thomas would be a mistake unless you're convinced that the two OTs have significant bust potential. 

[RobR]

2 hours ago, section314 said:

Rob....is the LSU C now considered the #1 guy at that position?

It seems that way after the Senior Bowl but I haven't done much work with the centers.

[David Harris]

41 minutes ago, Doggin94it said:

Given the state of our OL and the relative difficulty of finding LTs v. WRs (in both the draft and FA), drafting either WR over Becton or Thomas would be a mistake unless you're convinced that the two OTs have significant bust potential. 

Hard to argue and you may be right.
 

But how will Joe Douglas tier these guys?  If he has two OL graded as Blue chips and the next two as Red Chip OL, if the blues are taken ahead of us then I think he’ll take the Blue chip WR, which is also has high positional of value rather than just the position of OL irregardless of projection.

 

[Philc1]

On 1/29/2020 at 10:58 AM, derp said:

I think kind of similar to what bitonti posted - and I'm not sure he's necessarily wrong. Listed at 370 - that's not within the typical NFL offensive tackle archetype. Even if he played at 350 - people aren't typically sifting through interviews to find that and 350 is huge. Big offensive linemen play at like 330 most of the time. And often guys who don't fit the typical mold get discounted because it's easier than trying to figure out if they're the exception.

Larry Allen was arguably the greatest OL who ever lived he played at around 350 his entire career

[derp]

51 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Larry Allen was arguably the greatest OL who ever lived he played at around 350 his entire career

Larry Allen was also a guard not a tackle.

And Becton could be excellent. I think guys who are different tend to get discounted because NFL decision makers would rather be wrong sticking with typical trends than wrong doing something unusual. Very risk averse sport in that way. But it's very possible I'm wrong and Becton just goes early.

[Philc1]

19 minutes ago, derp said:

Larry Allen was also a guard not a tackle.

And Becton could be excellent. I think guys who are different tend to get discounted because NFL decision makers would rather be wrong sticking with typical trends than wrong doing something unusual. Very risk averse sport in that way. But it's very possible I'm wrong and Becton just goes early.

If Becton wrecks the combine he probably goes top 10

I’m hoping he does meh

 

 

[JohnnyLV]

On 1/21/2020 at 7:14 PM, Rhg1084 said:

Screw it.. I’m sold. Draft this mammoth of a human being at 11 and slot him in at LT for hopefully the next 10 years 

This guy has GIGANTIC red flags as a tackle. He was asked to pass block among the least IN CFB and he had something like a 65% rate on successfull pass blocking. He is a monster run blocker but we need tackles that can protect Sam. 

[Bruce Harper]

22 hours ago, johnnysd said:

This guy has GIGANTIC red flags as a tackle. He was asked to pass block among the least IN CFB and he had something like a 65% rate on successfull pass blocking. He is a monster run blocker but we need tackles that can protect Sam. 

Too big a risk for number 11, IMHO.

[Philc1]

On 2/22/2020 at 12:46 PM, johnnysd said:

This guy has GIGANTIC red flags as a tackle. He was asked to pass block among the least IN CFB and he had something like a 65% rate on successfull pass blocking. He is a monster run blocker but we need tackles that can protect Sam.