There are nearly 3,000 players in NFL training camps right now, and none of them is as inexperienced as Jordan Mailata.
Mailata, the Australian rugby player who was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round this year, said he’s finding he has a lot to learn but believes he can get better.
“It’s a very hard game and I’m loving the challenge,” Mailata said. “I’m here to get better every single day. I’m working hard and I’m confident that it’s all going to come together.”
At 6-foot-8 and 346 pounds, Mailata looks like he was born to play offensive tackle -- he was just born in the wrong country for it. The Eagles think he can develop into a good NFL lineman, and that’s what he’s trying to learn.
“I’m making progress. I’m getting better,” said Mailata. “There is still so much to take in. It’s only been a week here after the spring practices. At some point I do think it will become second nature, but I know I’m a long ways away from that now.”
Whether Mailata makes the 53-man roster this year remains to be seen, but he’ll be worth watching in the preseason. He’s one of the best stories in the NFL this summer.