Louisville football: Three enticing landing spots for Mekhi Becton

Former Louisville football offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is about to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. These three teams would be fun fits for the “Big Ticket.”

Preparing for April 23rd’s NFL Draft has been an arduous process for former Louisville football left tackle Mekhi Becton. Since sitting out the Music City Bowl in December and formally declaring for the NFL draft, the 100 days and change of preparation have seen his stock sky-rocket, then level off just as quickly as he gained traction.

At Louisville, Becton was a known commodity. A larger-than-life mountain of a player who only continued to improve year over year. At 6’7,” and always hanging around 370-380 pounds, Becton’s excellent feet and ridiculous athleticism set him apart, and in three years on an offensive line that was often inconsistent, he only allowed one sack over the course of 33 games.

Becton’s ability to get downhill like a man half his size and mow over incoming tacklers was often times hilarious to watch. Some of the best defensive ends in the country tried their hands at getting around Becton in 2019, and, more often than not, he put them in the dirt like a big brother bullying his younger sibling in the back yard.

Once he finally started to turn heads, Becton had a palpable buzz heading into the 2020 NFL Combine. While he excelled in plenty of areas, his viral moment came when he ran the forty-yard dash.

Weighing in at 365 pounds, Becton ran a 5.1 forty, which is unprecedented for a player his size.

From there, the legend of the Big Ticket only grew over the next two months. From potential first rounder to top 10 lock, Becton embraced the hype that Louisville football fans always felt was warranted.

However, just a week before the draft, Becton had a drug test “flagged.” What he was flagged for remains to be seen  It could have been a diluted sample, or it could have been something far more serious. In any case, everything that he had worked for and built up to all of a sudden is in question. Weaknesses that could have been looked over in the past are now amplified.

Whether or not it’s enough for Becton to fall in the draft remains to be seen. What doesn’t, however, is Becton’s ability to shore up some offensive line issues in a hurry and become a building block for the future of a team.

If one of these three teams lands Becton, it could be exciting to watch in 2020 and beyond.