Looks like Jordan Mailata is entrenched now at the Philadelphia Eagles at Left Tackle. And the Philly Eagles, after a poor start, are now in the hunt for a wild card spot for the playoffs. At least 1 poster on this site won't want them to succeed. To make the playoffs, Philly needs to take the spot currently occupied by Minnesota Vikings. The stats site 538 crunched the numbers and gives Philly a 38% chance of doing just that.
Jordan Mailata is a former Rugby player from Sydney who participated in the NFL's International Player Pathway (which entailed being on a TV documentary following around the contenders). He ended up being drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 draft by Philly. At 203 cm and 165 kg, he was at least the right size for the job. Injuries and a lack of experience meant he didn't get much of a look-in until last year but he showed enough that Philly gave him an $US80m contract just before the start of this season, $US40.25m of which was guaranteed. They also gave him the LT spot (made famous by the movie "The Blind Side") instead of their 2019 1st round pick Andre Dillard. His performances have driven some commentators to say that Philly got a steal, saying they'd have to pay twice as much if they hadn't signed him up early. As 1 guy put it:
He has also impressed fans with his ability to run through opponents. Early in the season, he pancaked a cornerback to free up a touchdown run and he put NY Giant Darnay Holmes in hospital with broken ribs when he hit him at speed: see the video of that hit at
https://twitter.com/i/status/1465025423973261312
As time has gone on, the offence has clicked into gear despite trading away Tight End Zach Ertz to the Cardinals. Their running back has now set a record by running more than 200 yards in 5 games this season. And the most recent game against Washington saw an interesting rugby play that utilises Mailata's size and power. The Quarterback, Jaelen Hurts, rushed 2 touchdowns in goal line stands where the offensive line pushed forward like a rugby scrum allowing Hurts to jump over the left side of the offensive line. Mailata might find it harder to stop an edge-rusher with dancing feet and spin moves, but he has no trouble bulldozing his opponent in a tight line.
The only downside is that it looks like he's battling an ankle injury in a bid to take on the Giants on 27 December.
Jordan Mailata is a former Rugby player from Sydney who participated in the NFL's International Player Pathway (which entailed being on a TV documentary following around the contenders). He ended up being drafted in the 7th round of the 2018 draft by Philly. At 203 cm and 165 kg, he was at least the right size for the job. Injuries and a lack of experience meant he didn't get much of a look-in until last year but he showed enough that Philly gave him an $US80m contract just before the start of this season, $US40.25m of which was guaranteed. They also gave him the LT spot (made famous by the movie "The Blind Side") instead of their 2019 1st round pick Andre Dillard. His performances have driven some commentators to say that Philly got a steal, saying they'd have to pay twice as much if they hadn't signed him up early. As 1 guy put it:
Quote:The 24-year-old Mailata was a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft who now routinely dominates first-round defensive ends, linebackers and edge rushers. His overall PFF grade of 82.8 puts him in the top 10 among offensive tackles this season.ProFootballFocus.com actually graded Mailata as the 4th best Tackle in the NFL.
Over 719 snaps in 2021 (a Week 15 game not yet included), Mailata has surrendered just two sacks and one QB hit. He has surrendered 18 pressures but seven of those came during an off-game in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders (he also surrendered a sack and a QB hit in that game).
He has also impressed fans with his ability to run through opponents. Early in the season, he pancaked a cornerback to free up a touchdown run and he put NY Giant Darnay Holmes in hospital with broken ribs when he hit him at speed: see the video of that hit at
https://twitter.com/i/status/1465025423973261312
As time has gone on, the offence has clicked into gear despite trading away Tight End Zach Ertz to the Cardinals. Their running back has now set a record by running more than 200 yards in 5 games this season. And the most recent game against Washington saw an interesting rugby play that utilises Mailata's size and power. The Quarterback, Jaelen Hurts, rushed 2 touchdowns in goal line stands where the offensive line pushed forward like a rugby scrum allowing Hurts to jump over the left side of the offensive line. Mailata might find it harder to stop an edge-rusher with dancing feet and spin moves, but he has no trouble bulldozing his opponent in a tight line.
The only downside is that it looks like he's battling an ankle injury in a bid to take on the Giants on 27 December.
