Watch: All the snaps from Mekhi Becton's dominance for Louisville in win over Syracuse

To truly appreciate how special Mekhi Becton can be for the New York Jets, it takes more than watching the first round pick's showing at the NFL Combine., His game film in college at Louisville showcases a dominant player at Louisville, one who has the projection to be an elite left tackle in the NFL.

Becton, taken No. 11 overall by the Jets in the NFL Draft, was a bit overlooked at Louisville. But his showing at the NFL Combine, including running a 5.1 time in the 40 while measuring in at 6’7 and 365 pounds is what grabbed the headlines and helped project him into the discussion as one of the top left tackles in the NFL Draft (if not the top). 

The athleticism he showed at the Combine is backed up by his 2019 film at Louisville where he was named the top blocker in the ACC.

His fluid movement and hips is matched only by the fact that he was ridiculously strong at the college level.

SportsIllustrated.com’s ‘Jets Country’ obtained the coaches film for Becton’s game against Syracuse (Louisville beat their ACC rival at home 56-34 to improve to 7-4 on the year). In it, Becton shows his raw athleticism and all the tools that project him to be a Week 1 starter for the Jets and a potential Pro Bowl caliber talent at left tackle:

“To Mekhi’s credit, he worked his tail off to become a dominant player against some really good defensive ends,” Scott Satterfield, head coach at Louisville, told SI.

“For him to get drafted that high speaks volumes of our coaching staff and the work that Mekhi put in last season. I think he has an opportunity to have a long and productive career in the National Football League."

In the game, Becton spends much of the first half matched up against Syracuse’s Kendall Coleman, who is no slouch of a player. It was a bit of a surprise to see Coleman go undrafted as several national mock drafts had him taken on Day 3. In 2019, Coleman was an All-ECAC selection who was second on Syracuse with 10.5 tackles for a loss (he had 48 tackles and four sacks). He signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Indianapolis Colts.

For Becton, the transition to the NFL will be made easier if he can shed some weight. He is currently training with Duke Manyweather, perhaps the best offensive line trainer in the country. Manyweather also did the Combine and Draft training for Cameron Clark, one of the Jets three picks in the fourth round who was an offensive tackle out of UNC-Charlotte but projects as a guard in the NFL.

Video courteousy of University of Louisville Athletics.