Mekhi Becton impresses New York Jets coaching staff with his 'lean' build'
This offseason, Mekhi Becton has certainly grabbed headlines for being a unique athlete and a very special physical specimen. The latest to be impressed by the first round pick is New York Jets head coach Mekhi Becton.
First, it was Becton, at 374 pounds, running the 40 at the NFL Combine in a 5.1 time. Then, a video surfaced weeks later of him pushing an SUV up a hill. Most recently this past weekend, his trainer Duke Manyweather revealed to SportsIllustrated.com that his client is just 18 percent body fat heading into training camp.
Gase was impressed with Becton’s build and conditioning coming into training camp last week.
“Seeing him and – it is hard to say it – I want to say lean but I mean the guy is a big man. He did a great job of sticking with the program and what he was doing in the offseason all through the summer. At the end of the day, you’re looking at a 370-pound man,” Gase said on a conference call on Wednesday with the media.
“He is one of the biggest players I’ve ever been around. The way that he is built, he’s always just going to look big. He is lean. But I mean he’s a big man. I’m excited to get him on the field. Get him going against our defensive guys. There will be a learning curve there because once he kind of starts seeing how these guys will use their stunts and the way the fronts change and the calls. But with him playing tackle, there are less moving parts than if he was playing guard as a rookie. A high percentage of the time he’s blocking the guy in front of him. "
The Jets selected Becton No. 11 overall in April’s NFL Draft. He was a bit of a steal for the Jets given that he was projected as the top tackle in the draft class. A flagged drug test at the NFL Combine, however, saw him fall to the Jets just outside the top 10.
The All-ACC lineman is a bit raw but there is no denying his potential. While he has often been able to rely on his size and strength to handle pass rushers in college at Louisville, he will need to continue to define his technique including his hand placement and footwork.
In Wednesday’s call, Gase said that he is pleased that Becton will get an opportunity to go up against Jordan Jenkins. Last year, Jenkins had 32 tackles and led the Jets with eight sacks. He showed his effectiveness as a pass rusher with 13 quarterback hits.
“I can’t wait to see how training camp goes. I know going against Jordan is going to be a great thing for him because he’ll be going up against a veteran guy that really is going to see what he’s all about,” Gase said.
“That’s going to be very good for us and great for him because he’s going to get a lot of reps that will be valuable for him heading into the season.”
