What surprised Jeff Stoutland the most about Mekhi Becton originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
There was a point in his career — and not all that long ago — where Mekhi Becton would have resisted a move to guard.
“Yeah,” Becton says now. “There was.”
Heck, the former first-round pick didn’t even want to move from left tackle to right tackle during his Jets career. So when Jeff Stoutland recently approached the 25-year-old lifelong tackle and asked him to take some guard reps at OTAs … nobody really knew how he’d respond.
But things have changed for Becton. The team that drafted him 11th overall gave up on him. His contract dwindled. His future grew uncertain.
Those things have a way of changing one’s perspective.
“Mekhi’s done a great job of just saying yes,” Jordan Mailata said. “He hasn’t questioned him, he’s never said, ‘I’ve never done it.’ In fact, he embraced the opportunity to learn how to play guard, and you know when I see things like that from Mekhi it just makes me want to play next to him if his number is called.
“Because you want guys who are just going to be willing and able to put the team first before their own needs.”
Becton hasn’t been here long — the Eagles just signed him on April 28 — but he’s quickly emerged as a potentially valuable piece along the offensive line. When Lane Johnson skipped a couple minicamp days, Becton took first-team reps at right tackle. And with Landon Dickerson out for mandatory camp with an excused absence, it was Becton who got the first-team reps at left guard.
“Really impressed with his football IQ, his intelligence, his versatility,” Stoutland said. “I didn’t realize he was able to play other positions. So that in itself is (important), just to have that swing value and the willingness to want to do it.
“He’s a fun guy to coach. He loves football.”
Why was Becton so willing to try a new position?
“I mean, when you’ve already got two tackles like Jordan and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/surprised-jeff-stoutland-most-mekhi-132515412.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-06-07 13:25:15
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