Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Developmental to Dominant, Jordan Mailata at No. 4

Once a long-shot, Jordan Mailata is now a star

The Eagles, and particularly offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, deserve all the credit in the world for developing Jordan Mailata from football novice to one of the best left tackles in football inside of three years.

Truth to be told, however, even Stoutland was crossing his fingers in 2020 when the 6-foot-8, 380-pound Aussie was forced into the lineup due to injury against San Francisco and dominant edge rusher Nick Bosa.

Things have worked out pretty well since that day when Mailata was able to hold his own against one of the NFL's preeminent pass-rushing stars.

There is the four-year, $64 million contract extension Mailata received before the start of the 2021 campaign, which already looks like a bargain and the acknowledgment of being No. 4 on the Eagles Today list of 25 best players in Philadelphia.

The process behind the top-25 list started with Eagles Today site publisher Ed Kracz and staff writer John McMullen putting together their top 25 independent of each other’s and then assigning point values, with 25 points awarded to the player ranked first on each list, 24 to the player ranked second, and so on, with one point going to the player that was put 25th.

The highest ranking from either reporter broke any ties in the balloting.

Mailata finished with 45 total votes and was No. 3 on McMullen’s list. Kracz put Mailata at No. 4.

Ultimately Mailata has turned out better than anyone could have imagined, entering the 2022 season as one of the best offensive linemen in the entire NFL, a far cry from when Stoutland got his first look at the now fifth-year pro as part of the league's International Pathway Program.

Stoutland was getting ready to play some golf with old friends when GM Howie Roseman was on the phone imploring the coach to take a look at what seemed like a fairytale, a then-only 360-pound lump of clay with incredible strength and athleticism to match his freaky frame.

Stoutland had to disappoint his foursome on Staten Island in favor of a plane ticket to Florida to see “this guy from Australia.”

It was a different type of workout because Mailata was so raw but it reminded Stoutland of seeing Lane Johnson for the first time

“Lane Johnson’s workout when I went down to [Texas], I was blown away,” Stoutland said. “I was like, ‘wow.’ I told Mr. Lurie when I got back, I said, ‘I’m telling you this is a wow, this is a wow thing, this is unbelievable.’ It blew me away.”

The traits aspect was at least similar to Mailata.

“I was like, this guy's different,” said Stoutland of Mailata. “I mean big, giant guy, who can move his feet, change direction, has enough flexibility.”

The difference was learning the little things from essentially ground zero for Mailata which can’t be looked at in two ways. From Stoutland’s perspective, it was an advantage because he didn’t have to undo any bad habits.

Behind the scenes, Mailata had plenty of ups and downs as he developed into what was graded as the third-best OT in the NFL last season per Pro Football Focus and one good enough to earn the massive extension.

“The standard has always been high,” Mailata said this spring “Regardless of how many years I’ve been a starter or wasn’t a starter, I’ve always held myself to a high standard because of the players we have in the [OL] room, the standards that the coaches set for us, the expectations that we have to meet as players to play as an Eagle.

“And so for me and I guess the rest of the locker room we all play or try to achieve that higher standard that is set once you set foot in the building."

At this time last year, Mailata still wasn’t entrenched and on even footing with Andre Dillard entering training camp in what was a true competition that turned into a bot of a rout.

Don’t expect any complacency from Mailata moving forward, though.

To be honest, the contract has provided that sense of stability where I’m financially set,” Mailata said. “But when I walk in this building, I have this attitude of, ‘I have no contract,’ and that my goal is to get better every day.”

The always gruff and honest Stoutland is a big part of that sentiment.

“It doesn’t matter what I placed on PFF last year if I’m not hitting the right assignments and plays. Which I know, because we watch it here with Stout, and Stout would never let me forget, even plays from my rookie year,” Mailata said.

Accountability is what keeps Mailata in the right frame of mind.

“That’s the one thing that I love walking into this building, the sense of accountability,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much you get paid, someone’s going to hold you accountable, and I feel like I’ve adapted this attitude where I do hold myself to that high standard that the coaches set and I’m able to be accountable and look at the film and be honest with myself.”

THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR

No. 25 – Jack Driscoll

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No. 24 – Derek Barnett

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Derek Barnett Sneaks in at No. 24

No. 23 – Kyzir White

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No. 22 - Quez Watkins

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No. 21 – Jake Elliott

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No. 20 – Isaac Seumalo

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No. 19 – James Bradberry

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No. 18 - Jordan Davis

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jordan Davis Checks in at No. 18

No. 17 - T.J. Edwards

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No. 16 - Miles Sanders

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No. 15 - Landon Dickerson

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No. 14 - Avonte Maddox

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No. 13 - Jalen Hurts

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No. 12 - Javon Hargrave

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No. 11 - Brandon Graham

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No. 10 - Josh Sweat

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No. 9 - Fletcher Cox

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Fletcher Cox Lands at No 9

No. 8 - Haason Reddick

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No. 7 - DeVonta Smith

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No. 6 – Darius Slay

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No. 5 - Dallas Goedert

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No. 4 - Jordan Mailata

-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 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