Jordan Mailata has thrown down the gauntlet to the Eagles' rookie offensive linemen, challenging them to come for his job while promising to mentor them along the way.
"I love our rookies," Mailata told reporters on Tuesday. "This is a great rookie class, especially in that O-line room. They work hard. I told Myles, and I told Cameron and I told Drew, 'I don't care if you come for my job. If you're better than me, you're going to be better than me, but I'm going to make it damn hard for you to reach that. But I'm going to bring you along. I'm not going to kick you down.' I said, 'That's not how it runs here. That's not how we do it. I bring you along because you'll make me better.'"
The All-Pro left tackle, who has developed into one of the NFL's premier offensive linemen under Jeff Stoutland's tutelage, knows firsthand the value of mentorship. As a rookie in 2018, Mailata was a seventh-round draft pick with no formal football experience, having come from a rugby background. Veterans like Jason Peters, Chance Warmack, Stefen Wisniewski, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and Lane Johnson took him under their wing.
Now at 28 years old and coming off the best season of his career in 2024, Mailata is paying it forward to Philadelphia's three Day 3 offensive line selections from the 2025 NFL Draft: Boston College center Drew Kendall (fifth round), Michigan tackle Myles Hinton and Texas tackle Cameron Williams (both sixth round).
"I don't want to be complacent," Mailata explained. "If I feel someone is chomping at my heels, it's going to make me run faster."
The rookie tackles could eventually compete to replace Lane Johnson at right tackle, though Johnson recently signed an extension through 2027. This timeline gives the Eagles the luxury of developing both Williams (6-6, 317 pounds) and Hinton (6-7, 323 pounds) methodically behind one of the league's best tackle duos. Meanwhile, Kendall might also compete for playing time at right guard after serving as a three-year starter at Boston College.
Mailata has already seen promising signs from the rookie class, particularly in their ability to absorb coaching and apply corrections.
"The effort, the grind. A couple days we had to get on them a little bit. I got on them a little bit," Mailata said. "Now, we're in the second week together, man, just the effort they put in the drills. When they make a mistake, they correct it the next day. That is showing that someone is coachable. It's not just the physical side. It's can they learn from their mistakes, and can they apply it the next day when we're doing that drill? Myles and Cam are doing a great job."
Stoutland, who has served as the Eagles' offensive line coach since 2013, has earned a reputation for developing late-round draft picks into quality NFL starters. Mailata stands as perhaps his greatest achievement—transforming from a raw prospect with no football experience into a second-team All-Pro left tackle who became a starter in his third NFL season.
With Stoutland's track record of development and Mailata's willingness to both challenge and mentor the rookie linemen, Philadelphia's offensive line tradition of excellence appears poised to continue well into the future.