Tavante Beckett NFL Draft Overview
Tavante Beckett 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Marshall linebacker Tavante Beckett has been in the headlines both on and off the field throughout his football-playing career. Beckett first began his career at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake and played alongside future NFL players Josh Sweat and Andrew Brown. The Tigers advanced to the state championship game, losing to Justin Skule and the Centreville Wildcats. Ultimately, he moved to Indian River High School and succeeded. As such, he earned an offer to Virginia Tech. He played all fourteen games as a freshman but was then kicked off the team after committing conspiracy to sell and possession of marijuana in 2017, charges that were later dropped.
Beckett then left Blacksburg and joined the Thundering Herd of Marshall as a transfer student. He would earn first-team All-Conference USA honors in 2018 for his performance. In 2020, Beckett was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. He finished the season with 90 tackles and earned first-team honors. Beckett chose not to play in Marshall’s bowl game, instead opting to prepare for the draft.
Strengths
- Strong leadership;
- Nose for the football;
- Can read an offense;
- Gets through gaps fairly well;
- Good first step;
- Excellent in the running game.
Weaknesses
- Plays more like a safety;
- Slender frame and undersized;
- Easily affected by blockers;
- Not much of a sideline tackler;
- Often gets lost in space.
Bottom Line on Tavante Beckett
Tavante Beckett is a lock to be a longshot. For one, the size and weight will likely mean a start on special teams or being on a practice squad. If a team does decide to draft him, they should simply take a flier in the seventh round and hope they found a steal. He does have a nose for football and is very aggressive when making a tackle, which means his football IQ isn’t terribly low. Additionally, he has matured well since the off-the-field transgressions that eventually led him to leave his home state for a far less known program. Furthermore, at Marshall, Beckett was a reliable tackler that teams will consistently point to in hopes that an NFL team takes a chance on him in the upcoming draft.
His best move may be to transition to a safety position, although one of the biggest knocks on him is getting lost in space, a weakness that defensive coordinators don’t have any patience for. Also, not being able to elude blockers consistently is a cause for concern that almost certifies that Beckett will likely end up on the practice squad or special teams. However, if he gets the first step, he’s usually the one making the tackle, and coaches will praise those instincts. Also, his ability to read the play before it happens gives him a leg up against other players with whom he may be fighting for a roster spot.
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