Top Offensive Tackles in NFL Draft: Mekhi Becton

Louisville’s massive but nimble Mekhi Becton checks in at No. 1 in our ranking of the top offensive tackles in the NFL Draft.

Louisville’s massive but nimble Mekhi Becton checks in at No. 1 in our ranking of the top offensive tackles in the NFL Draft.

Louisville’s mountainous Mekhi Becton is hungry for domination.

He’s also just hungry.

Becton played his final season at 352 pounds and showed up at the Scouting Combine carrying 364 pounds on his 6-foot-7 3/8 frame.

“She’s a caterer. That’s why I’m so big,” he said of his mom.

Semone Becton “can make anything and everything,” Becton said, but her specialty is soul food.

“She makes everything good,” he said. “Mac and cheese, fried chicken, collard greens. That’s a good plate right there. You have your starch and greens.”

Becton’s always been big – the opposing teams’ coaches and parents wanted to see his birth certificate before youth games when he was about 10 – and got bigger with a 5-inch growth spurt as a teen. With that, he was showered in recruiting offers.

While he might outweigh the rest of the offensive line class, Becton isn’t some overfed, overweight blob. He impressed recruiters with his ability to dunk and run the court in basketball. At the Scouting Combine, he ran his 40-yard dash in 5.10 seconds. Throw in his 35 5/8-inch arms, and Becton has the raw materials of being dominant. There are flashes of that on the film – flashes that make offensive line coaches giddy.

Becton started 33 games in three seasons at Louisville. At left tackle as a junior in 2019, he was named an All-American – the school’s first All-American lineman since 2006 – and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s top blocker. He recorded more than 60 knockdown blocks, according to the coaches. He was penalized once (for a false start).

“I feel I’m the most dominant tackle in this draft. You wouldn’t go wrong picking me,” he said. “The tape shows it. It shows that I finish almost every play. It’s as simple as that.”

What we like

With gifted feet, brutish power and a killer mentality, there’s enough great film that it’s easy to project Becton becoming a multiple-time All-Pro. Louisville ran zone 81 percent of the time, so his movement skills were on regular display. “I love outside zone and inside zone. It’s just fun running a man out of the play taking him where I want him to go,” Becton said.

What we don’t like

The overpowering dominance doesn’t happen often enough. The analytical numbers are rather underwhelming. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed one sack, five quarterback hits and six hurries for a total of 12 pressures, which equates to a pressure rate of 3.8 percent. That’s the worst of our top 10 offensive tackle prospects. According to Sports Info Solutions, the running backs averaged 2.9 yards before contact on plays behind Becton, a figure that lagged more than a half-yard behind Alabama’s Jedrick Wills.

Bill Huber’s Offensive Tackle Profiles

No. 1: Louisville’s Mekhi Becton

No. 2: Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs

No. 3: Georgia’s Andrew Thomas

No. 4: Alabama’s Jedrick Wills

No. 5: Louisville’s Josh Jones

No. 6: USC’s Austin Jackson

Nos. 7-14: Led by Cleveland, Niang, Peart

SI.com: O-Line U