It's been an eventful week for draft hopeful Mekhi Becton, and not in a good way. First, an anonymous scout went on record questioning Becton's drive, feeling his snacking habits and love of cooking could interfere with his NFL aspirations. And now, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Becton has entered Stage 1 of the league's Intervention Program after a "flagged" drug test taken during the NFL Combine.
Multiple players had drug tests flagged at the NFL Combine & among those is projected top 10 pick #Louisville OT Mekhi Becton, I'm told. Teams were made aware of this. Becton had no failed drug tests in college. Per new CBA rules, he goes into Stage 1 for no more than 60 days.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 18, 2020
It's unclear what triggered that result, though it's been reported Becton never flunked a drug test during his time at Louisville. Per Rapoport, the highly sought-after tackle prospect will be removed from Stage 1 after 60 days, provided he stays clean within that timeframe.
With the Giants and Jets both in the market for offensive line improvements, the recent wave of criticism surrounding Becton, the ACC's reigning Jacobs Blocking Award winner, bears monitoring. While it's unlikely the 364-pounder will fall out of the first round, the latest chain of events could bump Becton from the top 10 with many pegging him as the weak link among this year's "big four" offensive linemen (Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Thomas round out the rest of that group).
Both New York squads would be wise to fortify their O lines come Thursday night. Bolstering those units would go a long way toward protecting developing signal-callers Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, raw talents who need as much help as they can get. Despite a rough week PR-wise, the 21-year-old Becton still offers plenty of promise. Becton's rare length and surprising athleticism for his size are both major assets, though conditioning concerns and a perceived lack of polish complicate his path to early first-round status.
