Eagles to Unveil the Jordan Mailata Project

A project that began in the spring of 2018 gets unveiled Sunday night in Silicon Valley

A project that began in the spring of 2018 gets unveiled Sunday night in Silicon Valley when Jordan Mailata takes over as the left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Like many tech enterprises, the effort to turn the 6-foot-8, nearly 350-pound Mailata from second-tier Australian rugby player to a finished NFL product who can block the best edge rushers in the league had more than a few stops and starts along the way, not to mention potential hurdles that threatened to pull the plug on the entire plan.

It all started with Jeff Stoutland becoming enamored with physical traits straight out of central casting for an NFL left tackle, rare size, strength, and length married with the athleticism of a much smaller man.

The kicker was that Mailata had never even lined up for a football rep at any level and had to learn even the simplest things, like wearing his helmet.

For better or worse, Sunday night in Santa Clara will show off the finished product against the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers is the ribbon-cutting ceremony, something moved up due to a toe injury that sent 38-year-old veteran left tackle Jason Peters to injured reserve on Saturday.

If you trace things back to training camp there was no expectation or need for Stoutland to get Mailata ready for regular snaps.

The short-term 2020 goal with both Andre Dillard and Peters around was to decide whether Mailata was still in play to be a potential swing tackle or should Philadelphia turn the page and look toward more traditional prospects from the 2020 draft like former Auburn teammates Jack Driscoll and Prince Tega Wanogho.

On a daily basis, Joe Ostman was still torturing Mailata in pass-rushing drills and there was no preseason action for a player who needed every single live rep he could get. And remember that was on top of Mailata's 2019 campaign being shut down early because of a balky balk and less liberal roster rules.

Pre-COVID, you weren't allowed to stash players on IR for three games. There were just two designated for return spots after far longer periods on the shelf so when the Eagles needed a roster spot they were forced to shut down Mailata even though the big man was champing at the bit to get back to practice late last season.

The tempered expectations were a far cry from the hyperbolic ceiling raised by former NFL offensive linemen turned analysts like Brian Baldinger and Ross Tucker, who alerted David Barker to warn the Hall of Fame tailor an oversized order for a gold jacket would be on the way a decade down the road.

Mailata is still only 23 and really does have amazing physical gifts. His size alone makes circumventing him an issue for pass rushers and his athleticism for his size is beyond what anyone would expect from an NFL tackle. More than that, Mailata is just a likable person with a personality as big as his prodigious size and an ego that takes a back seat, making him open to coaching without resentment.

His back issues, however, fostered some doubt.

“I had moments, you know, maybe not this year but like previous years where it's like man like 'Is this really what I want to do?’" said Mailata

The negative thoughts were quickly dampened.

“Hell yeah, come back this year, this is what I want to do," he said. "This is where I want to be. Anything I can do for this team, I will do it. I will do anything for this team. They've given me an opportunity of a lifetime to be here where I am and given the platform that I have today, so definitely confident this year.”

That confidence will get tested against the 49ers and maybe the biggest positive is it won't be against Nick Bosa, the second-year San Francisco star out for the season with a torn ACL. Bosa typically gives even the best NFL left tackles more than they can handle. Another top Niners pass rusher, Dee Ford, is also out of the lineup.

But, no one really knows what to expect.

Prior to training camp, Stoutland was very honest when asked where Mailata stood in his eyes.

"I’m always as honest as I can be. I don’t want to lead you down the garden path, so I always try to tell you the absolute truth: I can’t answer that question right now," the veteran coach explained.”

"I can say this: In the meetings that we have, in the virtual meetings, he was a completely different guy in the meetings," Stoutland continued. "You’ll say, what do you mean? His confidence level, because we ask these guys to know a lot and convert blocking schemes, calls. Completely different in the meeting. Will that carry over to the field?

“I pray every morning when I come here that it will happen. Do I think that will happen? Absolutely. But I can’t guarantee that. We’re going to find out."

And we're all going to find out together on national television.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM and every Monday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SportsMap Radio. He’s also the host of Extending the Play on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Get the latest Eagles news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of the EagleMaven page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow @kracze on Twitter.