Mekhi Becton’s draft stock rising, Giants interested with fourth pick

The New York Giants are in desperate need of an offensive tackle. Mekhi Becton from Louisville could be their guy. His impressive combine performance has raised his stock immensely.

An offensive lineman’s first goal is to win at the line of scrimmage, but Louisville left tackle Mekhi Becton actually wins before he gets there. He wins as soon as the huddle breaks. The opposing edge who’s responsible for number 73 knows it’s going to be an uphill battle as soon as he looks at the 6-7, 364-pound mauler. It’s been a long time since the New York Giants had a player like that.

Becton’s not a very nice guy either.  In fact, while citing what he loves about football, to the New York Post, he said that “It’s just fun seeing a man on the ground every play and going to jump on him.”

Fortunately for Becton, he has a history of being able to jump on those front seven defenders rather quickly. As soon as the ball is snapped, he uses his outstanding length and terrifying power tho put defensive players on their heels immediately. The first-team All-ACC tackle creates space beautifully, which is exactly what the New York Giants need.

There are no weaknesses to find at all in his run-blocking, but Becton does have inconsistent hand placement of his punches in pass protection. He got away with this at Louisville due to his dangerous power and length.

This shouldn’t be of too much concern, however, due to the fact that he plays a smart game. His football IQ bodes well for both making the proper adjustments in his punch consistency at the next level, as well as being a player who’s coachable. Again, he’s not bad with his hands, he just has room for improvement.

One might expect a player of his size to also have room for improvement athletically. That’s not the case for Becton. During the season, and even up through bowl season, many didn’t expect Becton to even sniff the top-10 come April. However, he’s jumped up draft boards in the past couple of months. Becton has turned himself into what many now see as a lock for the top-15. He ran a head-turning 5.10, 40-yard dash at the combine. That’s virtually unheard of for someone his size.

It’s already crazy enough that he’s built like no other, but to then have this kind of speed may place him at the top of the New York Giants offensive line board. This is significant because while the G-Men are deciding on whether Becton’s the guy or not, Becton has made it clear that New York’s the team for him.

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Becton went on record saying that he would love to meet with the G-Men. According to Giants.com, the big tackle said

"“I just like how grimy you guys are…I just love the New York griminess. New York is just like, tough. I love New York.”"

Even just a few years ago, the Giants were known as the ‘toughest’ team in the league. Opponents knew they were in for a 60-minute fight when lining up against Big Blue. Becton and the Giants may be the perfect match in restoring that blue-collar glory.

What do you think about New York Giants using their first-round pick on Mekhi Becton? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.