Last week, Pro Football Focus named their top-3 players for each NFL team, and their picks for Philadelphia were slightly surprising.
For the Eagles, offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, as well as wide receiver A.J. Brown were chosen.
In PFF’s report, they stated “The Johnson-Mailata tandem at tackle is one of the NFL’s best and speaks to the strength of the Eagles roster in the trenches. Johnson and Mailata were both top-10 tackles last season in PFF grade, and they’re two of the better athletes in the league at the position.”
“The Brown addition gives the Eagles the big-bodied, elite receiving option who can work over the middle of the field that their offense was missing. His 2.61 receiving yards per route run since 2019 rank fifth among all players with at least 500 routes run over that stretch.”
In addition to their top three players, PFF also listed five honorable mentions. The players include tight end Dallas Goedert, center Jason Kelce, defensive lineman Javon Hargrave, cornerback Darius Slay and cornerback James Bradberry.
EAGLES TOP-3 PLAYERS
Despite gaining an honorable mention, it’s odd not to see Jason Kelce’s name listed here. However, his teammates who bookmark the offensive line are making quite the impact.
Lane Johnson has been with the Eagles since 2013. Philadelphia chose him in the first-round and since then he has consistently been one of the best players. In 2016, Johnson became the highest-paid right tackle in the league. He was named to his first First-team All-Pro in 2017, making the Pro Bowl three consecutive years from 2017-2019. He then became a Super Bowl champion and was most recently named Second-team All-Pro last season.
Completing the pair of tackles is Jordan Mailata — a rugby players turned NFL superstar. Mailata has been with the Eagles since 2018, but didn’t make his debut until 2020. After competing for the tackle position against Andre Dillard, it seems like his success took off overnight. Mailata scored a whopping contract before the 2021 season and is likely on his way to his Pro Bowl in 2022.
A.J. Brown topping the list is odd considering he hasn’t even played for the Eagles yet, but this should solidify some hope for fans heading into the season. Philadelphia acquired him during the 2021 NFL Draft from the Tennessee Titans. During his three seasons in Nashville, he’s completed nearly 3,000 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns.
All three players either make up the best offensive line or one of the top receiving corps in the league. Many may doubt the Philadelphia Eagles, but they certainly have all the right players in the right positions.
