Mekhi Becton ranked as No. 12 prospect on Sports Illustrated's Big Board

The former Louisville offensive tackle cracks the top 15 on Sports Illustrated's Top 50 Big Board.

The pre-draft hype continues to build for former Louisville Cardinals offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, as he was ranked as the No. 12 2020 NFL Draft prospect on Sports Illustrated's Top 50 Big Board.

SI lauds his ability in the run blocking game, citing his rare size/length, power and body control as some of Becton's pros. Conversely, they reference that his pass blocking technique needs a bit of development as a knock against him, and that he is one of the younger and more raw draft prospects.

However based on said raw talent as well as his overall physical stature, SI also draws a pro comparison to former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowler Bryant McKinnie.

This isn't the first time that Sports Illustrated has held Becton in high regard. Following the NFL Scouting Combine where he ran a 5.10 40-yard dash and 1.77 10-yard split despite being 364lbs and 6'7" tall, he was tabbed as the third-best offensive lineman prospect in the draft behind only Alabama's Jedrick Wills and Iowa's Tristan Wirfs.

"Starting at left tackle in a new offense in 2019, Becton had switched sides (LT to RT) mid-game during the previous two seasons. Becton has rare size and length. Given his size, Becton has the strength you'd expect and is a mauler in the run game. While he has work to do for his pass protection to catch up to his prowess as a run blocker, he has rare movement skills for a man of his size with tremendous upside."

In Sports Illustrated's latest Mock Draft, Becton was also projected to go at No. 10 overall to the Cleveland Browns, citing a need for the position following left tackle Greg Robinson's offseason arrest and right tackle Chris Hubbard's grade as the 76th best OT in the NFL out of 81 qualifiers.

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