PHILADELPHIA – Dylan McMahon and Jason Kelce have many similarities, besides obviously being draft picks of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelce was 6-foot-2, 280 pounds when he was drafted as a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2011. McMahon is a bit taller at 6-foot-3, 299 pounds, about the same height as Kelce when he retired (6 feet 3 inches, 299 pounds).
It didn’t take long for the two to get to know each other, as Kelce was hanging out in the weight room at the NovaCare complex before the Eagles’ rookie minicamp this week. The recruits were stunned, including McMahon, for whom Kelce had a few words.
“First he looked at me and said, ‘Undersized center? We have that in common,'” McMahon said at the NovaCare complex Friday. “[We] I just talked a little bit about football and the guys I’m going to face regularly in our division. He just told me, “Make sure you stay in the weight room and put some good weight on you.” With your body structure, there are good places to put weight and good places to add muscle.'”
To add even more similarities to Kelce and McMahon, Kelce was selected with the No. 191 pick in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Thirteen years later, McMahon was selected one pick early – at 190th overall in the sixth round.
Kelce was once a sixth-round pick before having a great training camp and working his way into the starting center role in the first week of his rookie campaign. There were ups and downs along the way, but Kelce became one of the greatest centers in NFL history and a future Hall of Famer.
Players like Kelce are the reason McMahon believes he has a chance to shine in the NFL, even as an undersized center.
“There’s a lot of these stories…so you know it’s possible,” McMahon said. “You just have to keep your head down, work hard and really embrace what [Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland] what’s doing here.”
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made sure McMahon and Kelce were able to get to know each other, trying to maximize every opportunity for the sixth-round rookie to succeed in the league. McMahon isn’t required to start in Week 1 (the Eagles have Cam Jurgens at center), but there could be an opportunity if Jurgens were to get injured.
Kelce is ready to help McMahon in any way he can. McMahon will make sure to listen and be ready if his number is called.
“He’s the best center to ever do that,” McMahon said. “Just meeting him and having him in this building to be able to reflect from time to time is just an incredible experience.”
