Former Louisville OL Mekhi Becton Reaches NFC Championship with Eagles

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Divisional Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs is now in the books, and with it, we now move onto the Conference Championships, where teams are just one win away from reaching Super Bowl LIX.

Out of the 11 former Louisville football players on the rosters for the 14 teams that clinched playoff berths, just one is left on the remaining four teams: offensive lineman Mekhi Becton

Becton and the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles held off the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams in a blizzard, winning 28-22 to return to the NFC Championship. They'll get to stay home at Lincoln Financial Field, hosting the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3:00 p.m. EST following their upset over the top-seeded Detroit Lions.

Just like during the regular season, Becton played a key role in Philly's offensive attack. He took every right guard snap across both their win over the Rams and their 22-10 victory vs. the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round the week before.

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 6-foot-7, 363-pound 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.

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