Former Bearcats Center Jason Kelce Cracks ESPN's Top Interior Lineman Rankings

The future Hall of Famer just inked a new deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

© Cara Owsley, THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

CINCINNATI — Former Cincinnati Bearcats center Jason Kelce is heading into his 12th NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles, but is still viewed as an elite interior lineman. ESPN ranked the center eighth among all NFL interior linemen.

"Voters saw a decline in Kelce's 2020 tape and moved him to honorable mention," Jeremy Fowler wrote. "Only to watch him explode to first-team All-Pro status during an impressive 2021 campaign. How many 34-year-old veterans are getting substantial raises? Kelce made $9 million in 2021 and looked poised to retire. Instead, he is set to earn $11.25 million -- plus an extra $3 million in incentives -- to play a 12th season.

"His 72.2% run block win rate (fourth overall at the position) and 95.7% pass block win rate (seventh) were both outstanding, and he was attributed just one sack against in 17 games."

Kelce is hard at work cementing a Hall of Fame-caliber career and people around the league aren't convinced he's fallen off much from his peak.

"He plays with anger, which serves his supreme athleticism well," an NFC player personnel director told Fowler. "Couple that with good coaching and the system there [in Philadelphia], and he's able to prolong his career." As an NFC offensive coach added, "Mentally, he's on another level; and physically, he moves like no other I've ever seen."

Kelce was the 191st pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. A sixth-round selection that goes down as one of the biggest draft steals in team history. Kelce played at UC from 2007-10.

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