Jason Kelce Lauded by Center Prospects at Combine
INDIANAPOLIS - Jason Kelce’s name came up a lot on Thursday.
It was offensive line day at the NFL Scouting Combine, so, yeah that might be expected.
The Eagles center is lauded for his ability to play the game the right way, the smart way. He is recognized as someone who overcame the so-called size deficiency to stitch together a career that could lead to the Hall of Fame whenever he decides to retire.
“I feel like as far as centers go, I've watched maybe Jason Kelce the most,” said UT-Chattanooga’s Cole Strange, who is 6-4, 300. “I wasn't necessarily partial to a team in the south in the NFL. I just didn't grow up having an NFL team, as maybe bizarre as that sounds. But I don't know.
“Like him not being as big as a bunch of the guys are and still being one of the best - I don't know, that kind of just blows my mind. Because I feel like all I ever hear is `gain weight, gain weight.' Like you're 300, you need to be 310. You're 305, you need to be 320. And this guy's like 285.”
Kelce’s decision, to continue playing in 2022, hasn’t been officially announced, yet, but the Eagles are doing everything in their power to get him to return. He has played 11 years in the league and each year it becomes more of a challenge for him to recover from game day.
Still, the Eagles are optimistic he will be back. Head coach Nick Sirianni said that a keg of beer was supposed to delivered to his home on Wednesday as a hopeful convinced to get him to stick around for 2022.
Sirianni, though, did not want to get into hypotheticals when asked what would happen at the position if Kelce were to retire.
“Obviously, we think through everything, and we have some good options there," he said. "Again, we're exploring even more options through free agency and through the draft. So, not something we have to decide right away, but feel like we have good options.”
An option could arrive in the draft.
Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum, who is considered the top center prospect, isn't overly large at 6-3, 290. Still, he probably won’t still be around after the first round of the draft ends.
“I think the center is a tempo setter,” said Linderbaum. “They're the guy that kind of sets the tempo for the offensive line. That's something I tried to do right away, make a day one impact when I first moved to that position. And that's something I'll try to do whenever I get to my team. So, I think it's important that you're the guy that holds guys accountable and works their butt off.
“Some people are gonna say, Tyler that you're not big enough, or your anchor is a question mark, how do you kind of combat that?”
Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum
Ed Kracz/SI.com Eagles Today
That’s where Kelce comes in. Linderbaum mentioned the Eagles center as one he likes to watch.
“Just try to find guys like that, who play the game the right way, who understand the position, play with great technique and just try to learn from them and see what you can do,” he said.
In addition to Strange, another intriguing candidate for the Eagles is Kentucky’s Luke Fortner.
You want smart, you want Fortner.
Or you might want Strange, who has already graduated and working on a master's.
Fortner is working on a second master's. He may be a tad undersized at 6-4, 300, but he’s a math whiz, an engineering major with one master’s degree in aerospace engineering and an electrical engineering MBA degree coming in May.
Fortner was a guard but wanted to move to center after deciding to return for his senior year.
“I said if I’m awful at it I can go back and play guard for you but I’d love the chance,” he said.
Wildcats coach Mark Stoops agreed.
“I like to tell teams, I know exactly how every block should be performed,” said Fortner. “I know where you should be, how you should do it. Sometimes I struggle to do it myself. But I have an idea of what everything should look like.”
The Eagles met with Fortner, though he said he didn’t shoot foul shots.
He did say who he watches film of to try to get better at his position.
“I think the easy answer is Jason Kelce, Eagles,” he said. “Just an incredibly explosive guy, an athletic guy, finishes blocks, gets to the second level well. I really like watching his film and trying to play like him.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
