Growing up in Australia, Jordan Mailata Never Dreamed of Playing in a Super Bowl

The Eagles LT was a rugby player who skipped school to watch the big game on Monday, but he never thought he'd be in the NFL, never mind a Super Bowl

PHILADELPHIA – There’s no such thing as Super Bowl Sunday in Australia.

Down Under it’s Super Bowl Monday with the time difference and all, and that means it’s a school day.

That didn’t stop Jordan Mailata from watching the Super Bowl because he would skip school. It wasn’t even really the game that attracted him.

“I probably should have stayed in school,” he said. “I didn’t understand how to play the game. I was just watching mostly for the halftime performances.”

What else would you expect from Mailata, who is a fabulous singing talent that is showcased on a Christmas album he and some of his teammates, including Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, put out in December as well as his stint on the television show, 'The Masked Singer.'

Thingamabob, as he was known on that show, will perform on the field in Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Mailata said he wasn’t really thinking about playing in the NFL when he tuned into Super Bowls in Australia.

He loved seeing performers such as Beyonce, or as he called her, Queen B, as well as Breena Miles and Coldplay.

“I thought about singing in (a Super Bowl), but definitely not playing in it,” he said. “No, I’m playing with you. I never thought about being here when I was watching it.”

Yet here he is, a seventh-round project who played rugby in Australia, playing in the NFL’s biggest game, lining up at left tackle.

“You have to work hard,” he said. “It didn’t come easy.”

When he showed up for his first practice after being drafted, he needed help putting on his pads and wearing a helmet took time to get used to.

Mailata learned his lessons quickly and is now one of the team’s foundation pieces at age 25.

“I think what the Eagles pride themselves on is finding raw talent, especially in the later rounds because they love to develop players,” said Mailata. “They can be cornerstones at their position for generations to come. (GM) Howie (Roseman) and his scouting team find them, and coaches develop them."

Kelce came in the sixth round back in 2011 and right guard Isaac Seumalo came in the third round in 2016.

“I think getting the mental reps, everybody has to do that,” he said. “I have to do that. If you want to be a part of what we’re building, you have to do that. You learn how to be a professional by taking mental reps, taking notes in meetings, and being a good student.”

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.