Former Louisville OL Mekhi Becton Wins Super Bowl LIX with Eagles

NEW ORLEANS - Mekhi Becton, following an up-and-down start to his professional career, is now a Super Bowl champion.

The former star offensive lineman for the Louisville football program and current member of the Philadelphia Eagles will get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, helping guide Philly to a 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.

Starting at right guard, the 6-foot-7, 363-pound lineman helped the Eagles put up 346 yards of offense, including 136 on the ground. Becton and the rest of the Philadelphia O-line also allowed quarterback Jalen Hurts to get sacked only two times.

Becton is the 17th former Louisville football player to be on the active, inactive, reserve or practice squad roster for a Super Bowl winner, and the first since Tutu Atwell and Javian Hawkins for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI. He's the first former Card to actually play in the game since Breno Giacomini with the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Just like during the regular season, Becton has played a key role in Philly's offensive attack during their playoff run. He started at right guard in their win over the Commanders, took every snap at the position in their 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, as well as their 22-10 victory vs. the Green Bay Packers during Wildcard Weekend.

After spending the first four years of his professional career in New York with the Jets, Becton signed with the Eagles this past offseason, and has had a resurgence in his new home. Becton started 15 games at right guard for Philadelphia, only missing week eight at the Bengals (injury) and the final game of the regular season vs. the Giants (starter's rest).

Becton was selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and the former left tackle had a promising start to his career. He played in 14 games with 13 starts during his rookie season, and was ranked as the No. 31 overall tackle by Pro Football Focus.

But over the next two seasons, Becton struggled with injuries. In week one of the 2021 season, he suffered a season-ending knee cap dislocation and MCL sprain. He then suffered an avulsion fracture of the knee cap during training camp just before the 2022 season, and had to miss all of that year as well.

In part due to the injury concerns, New York declined the fifth-year option on Becton's rookie contract last offseason. During what wound up being his final year in the Big Apple last season, he made the switch to right tackle and started in 16 games. He later signed one-year deal with Philly worth up to $5.5 million.

The Highland Springs, Va. native started all 33 games in which he played during his time at Louisville. He helped establish a resurgent Cardinals offense in 2019, was named First Team All-ACC as junior, and named the recipient of the 2019 ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy.

(Photo of Mekhi Becton, A.J. Brown: Kirby Lee - Imagn Images)

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