With the Jets and Giants both using their first-round picks this year to help fortify their respective offensive lines, it begs the question: who got the better player?
The Giants had their pick of the litter with the No. 4 overall pick and chose Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas. Meanwhile, the Jets at No. 11 went with Louisville's 6-foot-7, 364-pound behemoth of an offensive tackle in Mekhi Becton over Iowa's Tristan Wirfs.
Ross Tucker, a former NFL offensive lineman and current media personality, joined RADIO.COM's "You Better You Bet" with Nick Kostos to break down each of these picks.
"Nobody thought the Giants would take Andrew Thomas ... meanwhile, boom, that's exactly what they did," Tucker said. "This feels like to me is the safest pick. Three years at Georgia as a true freshman, he's thought to have the highest floor .... I think the Giants wantd to make sure they got a good player and weren't as worried about getting a guy with the upside with Becton, especially after Becton failed that drug test, Thomas was the safest player to get."
Becton had a drug test flagged after the NFL Scouting Combine, in which he impressed scouts and analysts with his shocking 5.1 40-yard dash time. But Jets GM Joe Douglas reportedly quelled those worries with Becton one-on-one the day before selecting him.
"As for the Jets with Becton, it's a big swing, man," Tucker said. "Remember, Joe Douglas was in Baltimore with Jonathan Ogden and later on with Bryant McKinnie. So, he's seen the value of having an absolutely ginormous human being at left tackle and what he can do for you, and I appreciate that, ut we've talked about the discipline, the concerns there with the failed drug test and the weight issues.
"They obviously feel good about it, they said Becton was honest with them about it, and feel like they can work through those issues. He clearly has the most upside and potential to be not only a Pro Bowler, but one of the best in the league, if he can put it all together."
