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Another week, another player film review. I am only going to do a few more before we can start really getting into free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft. This was a fun one to do. Jordan Mailata has been one of the biggest success stories of all time and I was excited to dig into the tape. Despite watching the offense all year, I would be lying if I said I focused on individual offensive lineman on a consistent basis, so it is good to go back and watch some of them individually.
Before I get to Mailata, having watched a lot of the Eagles offensive line the past few weeks (I wrote about Dickerson a couple of weeks ago) it was a joy to watch Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce again. Kelce is so freakishly athletic he gets a lot of the credit, but I thought Lane Johnson was unbelievably good and is still the Eagles best offensive lineman at this point. I’m not going to write about Lane but just wanted to give him a shoutout because my goodness, was he good this past season.
Let’s get to Mailata. This is a fun one, enjoy!
Stats/Scheme Notes
All from PFF, as usual.
- 951 snaps. 817 of them at LT, 134 of them at RT. Started at RT weeks 5/6.
- 88 total PFF grade. 83 pass block, 88 run block.
- 97.1 pass blocking efficiency, ranks 31st in the league. Lane Johnson ranked 2nd.
- 88 run blocking grade ranks #5 amongst tackles.
- Allowed 3 sacks, 2 hits, 20 hurries.
- 7 total penalties, ranks 20th highest in the league amongst tackles.
Strengths
+ Has an insane level of strength and power. I really do mean insane too. He has freakish strength. He will physically move people in the run game and even when pass protecting. A rare level of size and strength combination.
At RT in the first clip
Eagles All22 Offense thread v. Bucs. Buckle up... this is not pretty. The opening drive, good old debate of results v. process. Result = positive! But he has Smith wide open (and we know pre-snap its likely man coverage) and Hurts bails from a clean pocket rather than throw. pic.twitter.com/IcbVVE5B5d
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 18, 2021
It is truly amazing what motion can do to some defenders in the run game. Look at 34 literally freeze here! Previous play they faked a handoff to Watkins and ran a screen to the TE too, good to see some more creativity creeping in. pic.twitter.com/fLfpnoKpkM
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 2, 2021
Was very impressed with Washington's run D early on. Eagles went heavy a lot on 1st 2 drives but they struggled to move the DL. 3 TEs here (Wash still played 2High interestingly) but asking a TE to block Jonathan Allen is near impossible. Allen wrecked a few early runs. pic.twitter.com/3YFqY8FU8m
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 4, 2022
Some of Maliata & Dickersons blocks in this game are beautiful. They looked SO well coached. Perfect double team here & great job by Dickerson to get to the LB and move him. These 2 are going to be the foundation of the Eagles run game for years to come. pic.twitter.com/wBAn4c5okE
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 30, 2021
I LOVE the reactions of the players at the end of this run. They all buy in. Look at Ward/Stoll/Mailata all celebrate. Stoll shows up weekly as an excellent run blocker. Mailata here stonewalls the linebacker. This is dominant. pic.twitter.com/PquTj4QDkO
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 23, 2021
+ Extremely athletic and great in space as a run blocker. Will consistently reach the second level quickly and can get to the second level after helping out with a double team at the start
Again, a totally different approach. 3 TE set, running the ball from under center. And it worked! Eagles left side of OL were moving people & Sanders looked really good. One of his best runs of the season. You can't criticise Sirianni for the same approach this game. pic.twitter.com/iXWlPZaY5O
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
Sometimes nothing wrong with some good old inside zone. Great double by Kelce/Driscoll. Fantastic blocks by Maliata and Dickerson. Howard does what he does and bursts through a small hole. Nothing fancy - just well coached, well executed football. This was domination upfront. pic.twitter.com/XsbJ9euu45
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 23, 2021
This is how you run power. What a job by the OL. Kelce seals the 1T. Maliata and Dickerson double the 3T before Maliata gets one LB. Herbig pulls and takes the other LB. Reagor comes down and takes safety. Goedert takes DE. Leaves RB vs CB who takes a terrible angle. PERFECT! pic.twitter.com/Wd9qGPiO9G
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 7, 2021
+ Fantastic on power/counter runs where he is used as a puller.
Some of Maliata & Dickersons blocks in this game are beautiful. They looked SO well coached. Perfect double team here & great job by Dickerson to get to the LB and move him. These 2 are going to be the foundation of the Eagles run game for years to come. pic.twitter.com/wBAn4c5okE
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 30, 2021
+ Aggressive in pass protection, gets his hands up early and wants to strike the first punch.
It is really good to see the Eagles running Flood 2 weeks in a row consistently and Hurts looks really comfortable running this play. Last week it was Goedert as the intermediate route but here they use Watkins from across the formation. Pass protection is perfect here too. pic.twitter.com/r5Dbed080y
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 2, 2021
+ Showed that he can be versatile and play at RT if needed. Played well in pass pro in 2 games at RT.
THIS! I said earlier I want to see Hurts keep his eyes downfield and feel pressure rather than scramble. This is easily the best play of the first half. More of this please (and more targets to Smith) pic.twitter.com/srVKhF010G
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 12, 2021
If someone asked me to summarise the offense in one play its this. It just looks so rough. The spacing all looks wrong, players are too close together. Hurts has Gainwell free down the field but waits, Gainwell then stops just as Hurts throws it. It's just bad. pic.twitter.com/DGyBgIJOch
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 18, 2021
+ Plays with a very good level of aggression and nastiness and will finish the play hard. This fits in well with the rest of the Eagles OL
Final one... Eagles running game was awesome at the end. Howard & the OL looked very good. Bit of power here with Kelce/Johnson moving so well for big guys. Check out Stoll's block too! Great block on 96 to create a lane and then gets up to the 2nd level! Howard trusts this OL. pic.twitter.com/pceIgYrRDs
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 16, 2021
+ Can use his frame to get between the ballcarrier and the defensive lineman without actually blocking someone. The Eagles teach this well and Lane Johnson is excellent at this too.
Again, another example of more outside runs from 11 personnel rather than running inside against Washington's front as they started the game by doing. Sirianni continues to impress me with his in-game changes. pic.twitter.com/PxgdNUjeUj
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 4, 2022
Weaknesses
- Technical vet rushers can beat him at times with excellent hand usage
Again, a totally different approach. 3 TE set, running the ball from under center. And it worked! Eagles left side of OL were moving people & Sanders looked really good. One of his best runs of the season. You can't criticise Sirianni for the same approach this game. pic.twitter.com/iXWlPZaY5O
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
- His one weakness in pass protection was good outside speed rushers, he has a tendency to lean forward at times
When the Eagles had to open the offense in the 2nd half...Hurts bad traits continued to show up. This was 3rd and 10, take the checkdown and make it a 4th and short. Instead he bails, needs to take what is there even if it is a short gain. pic.twitter.com/GY0SwNfndx
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 26, 2021
- Can still see technical flaws in his game, has reps where he tries to win with power only
I thought this was Hurts best game in the pocket all season. He was more willing to stand and deliver. This is probably my favorite example and his eyes never drop and he waits for Smith to come open and delivers a strike. pic.twitter.com/IunVk27gXG
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 9, 2021
Overall
Jordan Mailata still has a lot to work on technically, but he is already a superb offensive lineman despite only playing for two years. He’s a top starter at his position already and is an absolutely integral part of the Eagles running game. His pass protection still requires some work and keeps him from being at the absolute elite of the position just yet, but he isn’t too far off. The Eagles made such a good decision locking him up early. Jeff Stoutland deserves enormous credit for developing Mailata. What a fantastic job he has done.
The Future
I feel like this is quite an easy projection, right? Mailata is already extremely good but I think he could reach all-pro potential if he sorts out some technique issues in his pass protection. He may never be a true technician due to his lack of experience playing the sport but his freakish combination of size and strength enables him to shine in pass protection the majority of the time.
Not that this matters either, but having followed his career closely due to him being an international player he really seems like a really good guy. I’ve watched a lot of his interviews and it is clear that he enjoys being coached hard by the Eagles and he knows if has a lot to learn. If he continues to work hard and try to fix his issues, the sky really is the limit. There are no physical limitations with Mailata at all, it’s simply of case of will he stay very good or can he be the very best due to his technical limitations right now. Personally, I am so so excited to watch him continue to develop and I can’t wait to keep watching him play for the Eagles for a number of years.
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