Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jason Kelce Tops the List

What more can be said about the veteran center, except this: he is the anchor of arguably the best OL in the NFL and that makes him No. 1

Drumroll, please…

The top player in our SI Eagles Today countdown of the best 25 current Eagles is…Jason Kelce.

The process to identify the top 25 began more than three weeks ago and it ends with training camp on the not-too-distant horizon, which will begin with players reporting on July 26.

What more can be said about Kelce that hasn’t been said already?

• The 122 straight starts, not missing one since the 2014 season, and is the longest active streak in the NFL right now.

• The five Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro honors, becoming just the seventh player in franchise history to be named first-team All-Pro four times.

• He is tied for ninth among all Eagles in regular-season games played and third among offensive line players with 159 games, trailing only Chuck Bednarik (169) and Tra Thomas (166).

On and on it goes.

Off the field, too:

• The speech. In a Mummer’s costume. Simply an iconic moment that capped a wild day of celebration after the Eagles won their first Super Bowl.

• Always involved in charitable events.

Kelce was back as a gust bartender in Sea Isle City for a second straight night this summer to benefit the Eagles Autism Foundation. Last year, he donated $50,000 to the $50,00 raised. This year, the event raised $100,000 plus another $50,000 donated by Kelce and his wife Kylie.

He may very well be the most popular Eagle of all time, perhaps even ahead of Brian Dawkins.

Not bad for a center.

Not bad for a player who showed up at the University of Cincinnati as a walk-on. As a linebacker.

Not bad for a player drafted in the sixth round back in 2011 the 191st player taken overall.

Here are our top 5:

Jason Kelce

USA Today

The center ranked first in our top 25 countdown. He arrived in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft and has made a case for selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when his career finally comes to an end,

A.J. Brown

USA Today

The wide receiver arrived in a trade on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft and, even though he has not yet played a game wearing an Eagles uniform, his reputation preceeded him and he is ranked No. 2 on our list.

Lane Johnson

USA Today

The right tackle is one of the best in the game, even though nationally h dosn't always get mentioned as such. Still, he is No. 3 on our list of the top 25 best current Eagles.

Jordan Mailata

Ed Kracz/SI.com Eagle Maven

The left tackle has gone from Australian rugby standout to NFL prospect to one of the best at his position in the game, and is ranked fourth on our list of top 25 current Eagles.

Dallas Goedert

The former second-round pick in 2018 is out of the shadow of Zach Ertz and ready to show he can be one of the top five tight ends in the league. He is No. 5 on our list.

Why is Kelce No. 1 on our list?

Simple.

The Eagles have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.

Who is the anchor of that line?

Kelce, of course, smack-dab in the middle. He makes the protection calls, tries to root out defensive disguises with possible blitzes, and makes that line function in unison.

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 ballot.

Kelce finished first on Kracz’s list; fifth on McMullen’s.

The 46 points left him tied with newcomer A.J. Brown, but the tie was broken by virtue of Kracz having Kelce first.

It was an easy choice to put him first.

THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR

No. 25 – Jack Driscoll

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles on the Current Roster Begins at ...

No. 24 – Derek Barnett

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

No. 23 – Kyzir White

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: A Recent Free-Agent Signing ...

No. 22 - Quez Watkins

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Speedy Quez Watkins Crosses ...

No. 21 – Jake Elliott

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Kicker Jake Elliott Gets Some Love

No. 20 – Isaac Seumalo

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Isaac Seumalo's back to claim ...

No. 19 – James Bradberry

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: James Bradberry, a Gift from the Giants

No. 18 - Jordan Davis

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

No. 17 - T.J. Edwards

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Don't Overlook TJ Edwards

No. 16 - Miles Sanders

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Miles Sanders Runs His Way to ...

No. 15 - Landon Dickerson

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Healthy Season Lands Landon Dickerson at No. 15

No. 14 - Avonte Maddox

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Avonte Maddox has No. 14 ...

No. 13 - Jalen Hurts

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jalen Hurts too High, too Low?

No. 12 - Javon Hargrave

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Javon Hargrave Bull Rushes to No. 12

No. 11 - Brandon Graham

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Brandon Graham on the Fringe of the Top 10

No. 10 - Josh Sweat

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Josh Sweat Races Around the ...

No. 9 - Fletcher Cox

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

No. 8 - Haason Reddick

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Pass Rusher Haason Reddick ...

No. 7 - DeVonta Smith

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: DeVonta Smith Breaks into the Top 10

No. 6 – Darius Slay

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: 'Big Play' Slay Lands at No. 6

No. 5 - Dallas Goedert

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Dallas Goedert Kicks Off Our Final 5

No. 4 - Jordan Mailata

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Developmental to Dominant ...

No. 3 - Lane Johnson

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Lane Johnson's Presence Makes ...

No. 2 – A.J. Brown

No. 1 – Jason Kelce

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.s