Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce once had a bad opinion of Jordan Mailata but that changed quickly.
Mailata, who plays tackle for the Eagles, was a seventh-round pick by the team and when he was drafted, Kelce thought he looked “terrible” before he got more reps.
“If I’m being honest he looked absolutely terrible. But, he looked terrible because he had never played. The size and athleticism was obviously there, it was just a question of if it was going to click for him down the road with the techniques and fundamentals,” Kelce tweeted.
If I’m being honest he looked absolutely terrible. But, he looked terrible because he had never played. The size and athleticism was obviously there, it was just a question of if it was going to click for him down the road with the techniques and fundamentals. https://t.co/AFPfsEmfyi
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) May 15, 2024
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Mailata was drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft but didn’t get a lot of reps right away. He was able to lock down the fundamentals and appeared in 15 games during the 2020 season.
He then kept playing and has played in 62 games throughout the last four seasons. He’s played with Kelce in each game and both were mainstays along the line.
Mailata will enter the 2024 season as the team’s starting left tackle while the Eagles will have a new center for next season after Kelce retired.