Eagles Select Nebraska Center Cam Jurgens at No. 51 Overall
PHILADELPHIA - Jason Kelce can't play forever and the Eagles began planning for their future at the center position by selecting Nebraska's Cam Jurgens at No. 51 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
While somewhat of a luxury selection with Kelce returning for his 12th season, the four-time All-Pro is taking things year by year at this point of his career and many believe 2022 could be the swan song for the Philadelphia favorite.
Undersized at 6-foot-2 and 303 pounds, Jurgens is very athletic in the mode of a Kelce, He was a four-star recruit as a tight end before making the transition early in his college career when the offensive line coach and the head coach suggested he move to center.
"My reaction was like, holy crap, I don’t know if I can gain that weight," said Jurgens on a conference call shortly after being selected. "I was probably 240. Then once I made that switch midway through the year, I put on a lot of weight really fast. That part was easy, but learning all the technicalities of it was a little bit of a struggle and it took a little bit to harness everything.
"But at end of the day, I absolutely loved the switch. I think within a week of being in the O-line I was like why was I ever a tight end. I was tired of running downfield and not getting the ball thrown my way. I love hitting and to do that every day. That’’s my stuff."
By 2019, Jurgens was a full-time center and led the Cornhuskers' offensive line for three seasons, starting 31 of his final 32 games at Lincoln. Like Kelce, Jurgens also has the reputation of playing through pain.
Kelce called Jurgens his favorite player in the draft shortly after the pick was announced.
Nebraska center Cam Jurgens
USA Today
"I watched a lot of his tape and getting to see a guy that's able to move like he is and play as hard and with as much intensity as he does, that's kind of how I want to play, that's how I want to model my game and be an athlete on the field," said Jurgens. "Just because you're an O-lineman doesn't mean you can't run downfield and knock a safety out."
Jurgens said he was in the offensive line room during his visit to Philadelphia with Kelce and O-line coach Jeff Stoutland, who was quizzing him on plays. Kelce walked in and they began talking about how he could fit in.
"He's down to earth, a good dude, and this is somewhere I can fit in really well," he said about Kelce.
Regarded as the second-rated OC in the 2022 draft class by most draft observers behind only Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum, who was a first-round pick by Baltimore, Jurgens began to rise up many boards in the final weeks leading up to the draft.
He's a little more powerful than Linderbaum and almost as athletic, a perfect fit for a zone-based scheme.
His presence also allows the Eagles to keep Landon Dickerson and Isaac Seumalo at guard with no worries about making a potential transition to the pivot once Kelce does call it quits.
The presence of Jurgens could also allow the Eagles to shop interior backup Nate Herbig, who recently signed his restricted free agent tender.
One potential issue with Jurgens is that most regard him s a center only and he will start as a backup which requires a little more versatility.
Philadelphia, however, is willing to wait for what it considers to be a future starter.
"Just to be an Eagle is insane," said Jurgens. "Getting to go out there and meet them, it was my favorite team all along, and getting to end up there is kind of a dream come true."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
