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Could Packers start Mekhi Becton at right tackle?
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- Could Packers start Mekhi Becton at right tackle?
When the Green Bay Packers signed Mekhi Becton to the practice squad earlier this week, it seemed to be with the idea that he would be that he would eventually be promoted to the active roster and be firmly in the mix to start at right guard.
That is the position he played the best football of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 after some up-and-down years with the New York Jets previously, and where he played for the Los Angeles Chargers last season as well.
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Then Green Bay signed veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler on Wednesday, with Matt LaFleur confirming that once Zeitler is ramped up and ready to go: "he'll be in there" at right guard.
While the signing of Zeitler limits Becton's chances of playing right guard, he could still have an opportunity to start for the Packers at right tackle.
Since Zach Bako-Bewele went down for the year, it has been former second-round pick Anthony Belton deputizing on the right side, and he also spent a couple of games there last year as well as playing left tackle in college, but in all he has only 208 NFL snaps at right tackle.
In those snaps, Belton has a PFF snap-weighted pass blocking grade of only 47.5 (60 is average). He is certainly not above having to compete for his spot.
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Becton settled in at right guard recently but was drafted as a tackle when New York picked him 11th overall. He has over 1,700 snaps at tackle, almost all of which came on the left side, and although he did not exactly thrive there, arguably has more credentials to play tackle than Belton.
During his time at tackle, which spanned 2020 to 2023, Becton had a snap-weighted pass block grade of 65.1 That is a big difference compared to Belton, who has also allowed a 5.4% pressure rate at tackle in his NFL career compared to 4.4% for Becton.
Of course the key issues are that he has not played the position for three years, and does not know Matt LaFleur's offense as well as Belton, who the Packers are also invested in as a recent high draft pick.
However, Belton is less than two years younger than Becton, who is still only 27. This was one of the criticisms of the Belton pick at the time, in terms of drafting a 24-year-old who was not ready to play in the NFL, and arguably still is not ready.
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Both are mammoth players, so the Packers would not in theory lose much from a physicality perspective in the run game whether it is Becton or Belton at right tackle.
When asked about Becton following his signing, LaFleur said he believes he can play either guard or tackle on the right side. It is Belton's job for now, but if he does not perform, Becton could get in the mix sooner rather than later.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Could Packers start Mekhi Becton at right tackle?
