Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eagles Top 25 For 2025: Standout O-Lineman Reaches No. 6

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By John McMullen | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 10:42 AM ET

The amazing journey for Jordan Mailata reached another level last season, with the one-time football novice taking his position as one of the best left tackles in football with a second-team All-Pro nod.

Considering that Mailata was also the top-graded player in all of football by Pro Football Focus, you can still make a strong argument that the gifted 6-foot-8, 365-pound Australian native remains underrated.

Set to enter his eighth NFL season, Mailata, 28, finished No. 6 on Eagles On SI’s annual Top 25 players on the roster with training camp set to begin later this month.

The most high-profile member of “Stoutland University,” Mailata was forged as a player from the ground up after being selected in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft despite having never played a down of American football at any level.

The onboarding process to the game reached into Mailata’s third season before getting his first opportunity due to injury in the 2021 season against San Francisco and dominant pass rusher Nick Bosa.

On paper, it looked like a disaster in waiting for the Eagles, but a funny thing happened: Mailata held up and played very well.

It hasn’t stopped since. All of a sudden, a 365-pound freight train was unleashed on the rest of the NFL, and Mailata’s PFF grades started to stand out right away.

He was the third-ranked OT among 83 who played enough to be ranked in 2021. The next season it was No. 9 of 81, and 2023 was back to No. 3 of 81 before Mailata took the top spot last season, not only among the 81 OTs ranked but against every player in the NFL in what was a Super Bowl LIX-winning season for Philadelphia.

An amazing blend of size, strength, and athleticism, Mailata is more naturally gifted than just about any of his peers and never developed any bad habits that offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland had to correct.

Mailata was pristine as a prospect, and Stoutland and many teammates taught him the right way.

As for the list, EOSI beat reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen each compiled their top 25 selections separately, and a point system determined the final list, with No. 1 receiving 25 points down to one point for No. 25.

The idea is to determine the best pure football players on perhaps the NFL’s most talented roster. Impact (the quarterback would also be No. 1 in any city) is not what the last is about. It’s Bill Belichick rules in trying to determine who does their particular job the best.

Mailata finished No. 5 on McMullen’s list while Kracz had him at No. 9. The combined 38 points landed the Australian star sixth overall.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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