Ex-Jets draft bust Mekhi Becton thriving in new position as Eagles starter

Sometimes a change of scenery is all a player needs to turn their career around. That might just be the case for former NY Jets first-round pick Mekhi Becton.

After four injury-riddled years with the Jets, Becton signed a team-friendly one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason with the expectation that he would serve as a key backup for one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

Becton reportedly turned down more lucrative offers from other teams for the opportunity to work alongside highly regarded offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and learn behind some of the best linemen in the league.

That move is already paying off. Becton made the move to guard this summer, quickly passing Tyler Steen, who missed time during training camp with an ankle injury, for the starting right guard job.

Becton made his debut for the Eagles on Friday and wasted little time flashing the upside that once made him the 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was excellent in his Eagles debut.

Mekhi Becton shines in his first game away from the NY Jets

Becton was credited with allowing zero total pressures on 76 total snaps in his first start as a member of the Eagles. You have to go back to Week 15 of his rookie season in 2020 to find the last time Becton allowed zero pressures on 70+ snaps.

In fact, Becton has only allowed zero pressures in one full start since his rookie year in 2020. That game actually came in his final appearance as a member of the Jets last season in what was arguably one of his best games with the organization.

Becton was also a force in the run game, as the entire Eagles offensive line dominated an overmatched Packers front seven, paving the way for Saquon Barkley's three-touchdown performance.

It certainly helps that Becton is now playing alongside some of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, including Lane Johnson to his right, but the Louisville product deserves plenty of credit for the progress he's made this summer.

Becton was not only forced to learn a completely new offensive system but he's playing a position he's quite literally never played at any level of football before, at least as far as public records are available.

Becton was a right and left tackle in high school, almost exclusively a left tackle in college, and switched between both tackle spots in the NFL. Perhaps a move to guard is all he needed to find his footing in the NFL.

Injuries have derailed the career of a player who was once seen as a promising building block of the Jets' offense. But Becton is proving that, if he stays healthy, he might still be able to salvage a successful NFL career.

This is how you take advantage of an opportunity. Some Jets fans may still be bitter over Becton's rocky tenure, but it's still heartwarming to see an individual who's battled through so much adversity find success, even if it's with another team.

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