New York Jets left tackle Mekhi Becton...starting left tackle and...running back option?

Mekhi Becton, the New York Jets first round pick, is locked in as their starting left tackle. In college, he also played running back.

Make way for Mekhi Becton on the fullback dive. The New York Jets might have the biggest backfield option since William ‘The Refigerator’ Perry.

Becton, taken No. 11 by the Jets in the NFL Draft, giving them a starting left tackle with Pro Bowl caliber ability. He also gives them an option in the backfield.

In 2018, Becton dove – yes, all 355 pounds of him at the time took a leap– one yards over a pile of blockers for a touchdown. Given the conditions – it was a torrential rain pour throughout the game – Becton showed good ball security and athleticism in slippery conditions to dive over his blockers. The touchdown gave Louisville a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter of what would eventually be a 31-7 win.

He lined up at fullback on the play, with Micky Crum in motion as a blocking tight end and running back Jeremy Smith also in the backfield. On the play, Becton takes off from two yards out and jumps over his blockers, the force if his power propelling him over the defense.

His head coach at Louisville, Bobby Petrino, tells SportsIllustrated.com’s ‘Jets Country’ that the player had its genesis months before.

“The previous spring, we did a goal-line tackling drill. The last rep, I called Mekhi versus the biggest defensive player. Mekhi ran over him for a touchdown and the team went crazy with enthusiasm,” Petrino said.

“We put the play in that week and the opportunity came up to call the play ‘Muscle Right RMO Wedge Right.’ For Mekhi, we named it ‘Mouse Right RMO Wedge Right.’ The best part was seeing his big smile after he scored.”

Petrino is trying to revitalize a Missouri State program that competes in arguably the toughest conference in the FCS. The Missouri Valley has turned in eight of the last nine national champions at that level and boasted 33 playoff teams since 2011. The program does have a solid track record of sending players into the NFL in recent years. Petrino, as evidenced by talent such as Becton, is no stranger to professional development for his players.

Becton certainly has the athleticism to be a backfield option at the NFL level. At the NFL Combine in late February, Becton ran an impressive 5.1 time in the 40 at 6’7 and 364 pounds.

In high school, Becton was a standout in basketball, running the court fluidly. He is a tremendous athlete who backed it up on the field by being named All-ACC at left tackle last year.

Pulling an offensive lineman into the backfield for goal line and short yardage situations is not uncommon in the NFL, utilizing an athletic lineman as either a blocker or to run the ball. No one did it better in the NFL than the aforementioned Perry, a 335-pound defensive lineman who famously rumbled in for a touchdown in Super Bowl XX.

Petrino wouldn’t be surprised to see the Jets utilize Becton in a similar fashion.

“He probably could do it for the Jets,” Petrino said. “The old Chicago Bears used to do it with The Fridge!”

The Jets could use a big body like Becton to help them get the ball in the endzone. Last year, they ranked No. 21 in red zone efficiency. In 2018, they were third worst in the league.