Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

More OL Talk

Posted July 1st, 2025 | 2 Comments »

In my last piece I wrote about the Eagles having the best offensive line as we head into the 2025 season. Three of the starters are Pro Bowlers. The RG spot remains up for grabs so we’ll see how that battle plays out. LT Jordan Mailata is the only returning starter who has yet to make a Pro Bowl.

So how good is Mailata?

Pro Bowls are a useful tool in a general sense. They give you an idea of which players are considered to be good by media and fans. They do not tell us who the best players are. You need to find analysts who study all players thoroughly and have an expertise. There are a lot of talking heads on TV and podcasts who say things either as hot takes or simply as ill-informed opinions.

Mailata is a good player. The question with him is how good. Brandon Thorn is an OL guru and here is how he had Mailata rated among LTs going into last season.

11. Jordan Mailata – Mailata’s game is likely still evolving considering he is just a few years into his football playing life. Right now, the 6’8”, 365 pound road-grader forms one half of the biggest, most physically imposing left side of a line (with Landon Dickerson) in football. Mailata’s initial quickness and overall movement skills are impressive at his size, but he is still a tick late recovering out of compromising positions against inside moves and has some lag time in his anchor versus speed to power. Mailata has clear ‘trump card’ strengths as a run blocker with solid pass protection skills that can and should sharpen with more time under Jeff Stoutland’s tutelage.

Thorn put Mailata into a tier labeled as Good/Above Average. I think that is a fair assessment of Mailata from a year ago. Mailata just had his best season so it will be interesting to see where Thorn has Mailata ranked this season. Before you get mad at Thorn, he has Lane Johnson as his #1 RT.

PFF loves Mailata.

That feels a bit too much for Mailata based on my game reviews. Mailata is an outstanding run blocker. He is a good pass blocker, but is vulnerable to small speed rushers. If they stay low, they make it tough for a guy like him with such a tall build. He has to retreat while also staying low and trying to control a moving target. Not easy at all.

The Eagles play design tells you what they think of Mailata.

They wouldn’t put him on an island that much if they didn’t trust him. That doesn’t mean he wins all those battles, but he does win most of them. The risk is worth the reward to the Eagles coaching staff. They can get all five receivers into pass routes and not have to worry about helping the OL. If Jalen Hurts does get pressure, he can use his feet to move around and either buy time or take off.

Mailata should make a Pro Bowl at some point. With Lane Johnson and Penei Sewell usually taking up 2 of the 3 OT spots, that leaves a lot of guys battling for just one position. It isn’t easy.

*****

Here is a fun interview with Lane Johnson. He has a few good lines in there.

Shady McCoy is one of the hosts. There is an interesting point that is a joke, but tells us a lot about the 2024 team. Shady talks about how mad he would have been if the Tush Push stole a bunch of short TDs from him. He’s laughing and joking, but you get the feeling there is some truth to that. Part of what made the 2024 Eagles so great is that egos were put aside for the most part.

Saquon Barkley had a chance to have his most rushing yards in the first meeting with the Giants. Nick Sirianni offered to keep him in the game, but Barkley told Sirianni to “let the young guys eat”. Barkley wanted the rushing record at the end of the season, but didn’t push for it because he knew the team’s goal of winning the Super Bowl was more important.

Bryce Huff could have set the NFL record for sacks in a season, but he decided to stop once he got to 2.5. That kind of selflessness is rare.

Back to the interview for a minute, Johnson talks about a simple key to the success of last year’s OL being size. They were just bigger and stronger than anyone else. There is some truth to that, but what made them special is the agility and athleticism they combined with their size. That is rare stuff.

*****

UDFA Hollin Pierce, the massive LT from Rutgers, worked at OG this spring. He is bigger than Mekhi Becton. If Jeff Stoutland wants another massive OG in the mix, Pierce would make some sense. He’s not ready to play now, but could be worth developing for the future.

Lots of potential.

_

2 Comments on “More OL Talk”

  1. 1 The Linc - Former Eagles player says Jalen Carter is on a Hall of Fame trajectory - SportSourcio said at 4:02 PM on July 2nd, 2025:

    […] More OL Talk – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – Over View – Your Daily News Source said at 11:33 PM on July 2nd, 2025:

    […] More OL Talk – Iggles BlitzIn my last piece I wrote about the Eagles having the best offensive line as we head into the 2025 season. Three of the starters are Pro Bowlers. The RG spot remains up for grabs so we’ll see how that battle plays out. LT Jordan Mailata is the only returning starter who has yet to make a Pro Bowl. So how good is Mailata? Pro Bowls are a useful tool in a general sense. They give you an idea of which players are considered to be good by media and fans. They do not tell us who the best players are. You need to find analysts who study all players thoroughly and have an expertise. There are a lot of talking heads on TV and podcasts who say things either as hot takes or simply as ill-informed opinions. Mailata is a good player. The question with him is how good. Brandon Thorn is an OL guru and here is how he had Mailata rated among LTs going into last season. […]