Most people that follow me know that I’ve been a huge Jordan Mailata fan since the day the Eagles drafted him. The thought of a 6’8, 350 pound man with the athleticism that he possessed was exciting, and we saw that come to life in his first set of preseason games back in 2018. Unfortunately we never got the opportunity to see him play in any regular season games…. until now! There’s a lot to take in from his NFL regular season debut. There’s some stuff he needs to work on, but there’s a lot to be excited about. Lets jump into the film.
The Good
Lets start off with the positives. He was excellent in pass protection allowing only 1 pressure all game. He overpowered everyone with his 6’8, 340 pound frame, and utilized his 35.5” arms effectively. He won most of his reps with sheer power and didn’t need to rely on technique all that much.
First play he shows that elite explosiveness that excited all of us from watching his rugby highlights. He gets to the 2nd level in a flash and is able to get a hit on both linebackers. For as big of a man as he is, he is still very explosive. That will allow the eagles to hide the limitations of Matt Pryor and Nate Herbig as 2nd level blockers.
Next play is a good example of his power in the run game. Puts his hands on the 275 pound Ansah and controls him the entire play. He can be an asset as a puller and as a downhill run blocker.
Another prime example of that strength. Ansah tries a speed to power and gets nowhere on Mailata. Jordan gets his hands on him and it’s game over.
Big boy play here. Pushes the DT a good 5 yards to the right before peeling off and getting to the linebacker. He is unable to stay connected unfortunately but still a nice play that led to a positive gain.
Initiates the contact here and dominates the 290 pound defensive lineman. He gets his hands right under Kerry Hyder’s shoulder pads giving himself the leverage and you can see Kerry struggling to get his hands on Mailata after losing initially. That’s where Mailata’s 35.5” arm length comes into play. Once he gets his hands on you most guys aren’t going to be able to disengage. Good stuff.
Another strong block from Mailata on Kerry Hyder.
Another showcase of his athleticism. Mailata looks like a freight train going after #27. Explosive on the move and allows you to open up the playbook with him as a lead blocker.
Overall there was a lot of good from Jordan. He showcased the athleticism to be a lead blocker in space, and the strength and size to overpower defenders as well. But there were some concerning things as well.
The Bad
The negatives from Jordan Mailata revolve around technique and agility. While he is very explosive in space he often had issues getting connected. He got up to speed quickly, but once he did he could not change direction at all.
For example on this screen play he simply overruns the block.
Again explosive, but completely whiffs. It seems as if he’s slightly off course in his pursuit he is unable to switch gears to adjust.
While his technique wasn’t an issue this game, he does need some work there. Often times in pass protection he would let the opposing rusher get into his chest, he would stop his feet, and I’m worried that against an elite pass rusher those areas would get exposed. The 49ers were in fact missing their starters in Nick Bosa and Dee Ford. We’ll see if this issue continues or if it’s just rust due to his first game action since the 2019 preseason.
Final Thoughts
Overall was very pleased with Jordan’s debut. He physically dominated his opponents and only had a handful of plays where his inexperience came back to bite him. We do have to acknowledge that this was however a weakened 49ers defensive line missing their two starting edge rushers. If he can continue his dominance against TJ Watt next week then boy are we gonna have a serious conversation about Jordan Mailata as the future at LT.
The Philly Blitz 