Jordan Mailata’s rise is a self-described “Hollywood movie”, a remarkable reminder of just how far a strong work ethic can take you. But the script nearly had a very different ending.
Philadelphia Eagles beat writer Chris Franklin still remembers the moment when it looked like he may be getting his last look at the Australian.
Mailata had already defied all expectations to be selected by the Eagles with the seventh-round draft pick in 2018 but two years later he had to make the final step, from project to player.
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After multiple injury setbacks, that chance came in one of the final practices of the preseason.
“The cuts were coming up,” Franklin told foxsports.com.au.
“He was getting beat by another defensive lineman and he got beat badly and a lot of us were like: ‘Wow, I think he’s done, he’s going to be cut’ because he’s [been] with the team for a while, he’s gone onto reserve for two years.
“Then we saw after he got beat on that rep, he took his helmet off and he slammed it on the ground. He was just frustrated he got beat and it was like: ‘Well, that’s the last time we’ll see him’.
“But they kept him and they saw something in him.”
Sure, they saw a 6-foot-8 and 300-plus pound frame. But more than that, they saw a guy who was willing to put in the work, who cared when he made mistakes.
“If you look at where he is at now, it is just crazy,” Franklin said.
“He’s one of the better tackles in the league.”
That constant drive to get better has stuck with Mailata, even after he signed a four-year extension in 2021, which was worth up to $80 million ($118m) and included $40.85 million ($A60m) guaranteed.
Only this pre-season when Mailata turned up for the first day of join practices against the Cleveland Browns, he was disappointed to find out Myles Garrett was not there.
When Garrett, one of the league’s top pass rushers, returned on the second and final days of practice, he initially faced off with Mailata for one rep — but the Australian wanted more.
So, he asked the All-Pro if he could go again.
“I know of the quality player he is,” Mailata told reporters at the time.
“For me, it’s just another hurdle that I’ve got to jump over. Eventually, we’ve got to face each other.”
Forever a student of the game, Mailata is not falling into some false sense of security after his payday, instead only drawing on it as yet another reason to improve his game.
“It’s amazing what he’s been able to do from not knowing anything to going to an NFL academy for a little while and learning how to basically do one of the toughest jobs in the world,” Franklin said.
“When you look at the left tackle it is probably behind the quarterback as the most important spot there because you have to protect the quarterback and to see the growth that he’s made [is incredible]. You saw the physical talent there, you saw the speed.”
But natural talent can only take you so far. It is Mailata’s eagerness to improve that had Franklin declaring he “can be a top-five guy in the league” in his position.
“You see a lot of guys with the physical talent and height and the size but the willingness to learn and willingness to develop your craft is the most important part and Jordan has exhibited that a lot,” he said.
It is easy to forget just how far Mailata has come, considering that he did not even know how to take off his helmet on his first day of training camp at the IMG Academy.
Even linebacker Haason Reddick was stunned to learn Mailata only started playing football a few years ago, telling reporters this preseason that the Australian “can be the best left tackle in the NFL”.
“He just continues to progress,” Reddick added.
“To see how far he’s come, I can only imagine how it was when he was first playing, especially at the NFL level. But to see him now as he continues to get more experience, he’s going to continue to get better.
“We’re already talking about how good he is — we’ll be talking about him being one of the best, if not the best.”
“He’s the guy who comes in every day and takes the coaching,” quarterback Jalen Hurts added of Mailata.
Meanwhile, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s EJ Smith is not one for hot takes but even he believes Mailata can be an “All-Pro left tackle this year”.
“His ascension has been quite remarkable,” added colleague Josh Tolentino on ‘Gameday Central’.
Of course, there are areas of Mailata’s game that still need refining, although Franklin said the main focus for the Australian this season simply has to be on “staying consistent”.
“I’d probably say his recognition and ability to actually know the fronts that are happening,” Franklin said.
“A lot of times you’re running stunt in games and stuff like that and he could be on the outside or also another one is he let a lot of defensive linemen get on the inside of him.
When you’re 6’8 and you have that length, that wing span it’s tough with some of the smaller guys.
“They’re quite and they get inside your arms and basically they’re able to get the upper hand. One thing I’ve seen him do a lot better is he’s got his arms out, he’s extending. He’s always had that nasty protective streak in him.”
The nasty protective streak was out in full force earlier in the preseason when New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams floored Eagles quarterback Hurts with a late shot.
“At first it’s this nice guy, he’s funny, you hit quarterback and all of a sudden he starts coming out,” Franklin said.
“It’s like he turns into The Hulk. He starts going after who went after Jalen Hurts. It’s crazy because you’ve seen the Masked Singer, you see this regular guy… wait, that guy’s an NFL left tackle? What the heck?
“Then when you get to talk to him and hear him, he’s a down-to-earth guy and it’s like all of a sudden when he gets onto a football field a switch turns on and he becomes protector.”
That willingness to put his body on the line, along with his warm personality and angelic singing voice, has seen Mailata quickly become a fan favourite in Philadelphia.
The city’s fanbase is one of the most passionate in the sporting world and that is not always a good thing, as former Sixers star and fellow Australian Ben Simmons came to learn.
But Mailata is different. For Franklin, it all comes down to the fact that he is willing to put in the work.
“He’s definitely the anti-Ben Simmons,” Franklin laughed.
“We’re a blue-collar city and a hard-working city and a lot of the fans are that way too, if you give a lot of effort and show that nastiness, that toughness and grit, they will love you. They’ve embraced him.”
