Stories of Jordan Mailata's minicamp struggles should be taken with a grain of salt
The story alone is enough to make one of those Disney-produced sports dramas (or get the writer kicked out of the executive producer's office). A kid from Australia lands in the City of Brotherly Love to play for the beloved Philadelphia Eagles. He eventually wins a Super Bowl. Here's the catch. He has never played American football before.
That sounds hard to believe. What makes everything about that so special is that the Birds fans were fortunate enough to witness the journey firsthand.
Jordan Mailata is Jeff Stoutland University's valedictorian and one of its most prized pupils. That's why no one should be fazed by reports of a bad day he had at Eagles minicamp.
Rumors of Jordan Mailata's demise have been grossly exaggerated
Philadelphia's single-day minicamp workout won't be remembered as Jordan Mailata's finest. To put things bluntly. He's ten times better than what he put on tape. Credit second-year star Jalyx Hunt for making the most of his opportunity as he fights for a starting job. Unfortunately, however, for Philadelphia's starting left tackle, one of Hunt's highlight-reel moments came at the expense of the Eagles' starting left tackle.
Per CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr: "Mailata is one of the best tackles in football, yet had a hard time blocking Jalyx Hunt in team drills during the workout. Hunt beat Mailata on a "sack," as the Eagles All-Pro left tackle was clearly frustrated with himself for allowing the "sack" to happen (remember, the Eagles are in shells and shorts)."
That isn't so bad. You win some, and you lose some, right? Unfortunately, Mailata may have still had Hunt on his mind as he was again beaten on the next play. This time, Jordan Davis won on the rep. Jalen Hurts was forced right as Davis was successful in breaking up the play.
That led to some visible frustration and a well-written take on the events. Again, Kerr provides the details: "Mailata and the Eagles' first-team offense made way for the second-team offense, as Mailata looked at the video board that replays the previous play in practice. A frustrated Mailata yelled a few obscenities while reviewing the play and asked himself what he was doing."
Kerr's following statement sums everything up perfectly. "Iron sharpens iron, and Mailata is clearly a perfectionist at his craft. This also showcased how good of a practice Hunt and Davis had."
Kerr is right. That's precisely why no one should be bothered or even worried.
Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 32 offensive tackles ahead of the 2025 NFL season. Jordan Mailata was ranked first, and rightfully so. He was lights out during the most recent NFL season.
Per PFF: "Mailata was the most complete offensive lineman in the NFL in 2024... Only two offensive tackles earned PFF pass-blocking grades above 90.0, and only two earned PFF run-blocking grades above 90.0. Philadelphia's left tackle was the only one to achieve both feats. His 95.2 PFF overall grade also led the position."
It's hard to believe that when this guy landed in Philadelphia as a 2018 seventh-round selection, he didn't even know how to put his helmet on. He has come a long way, from rugby to a Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2025. Mailata is just getting started, and it's going to be fun to watch the continued maturation of another Eagles franchise legend.
And, with that, we close the book on rumors of Jordan Mailata's 'struggles'. The game's best offensive line coach coaches him. He's the best in the business. He'll be ready to go once the lights are on and games count against Philadelphia's win and loss total.
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