'Crafty' Isaac Seumalo Earns Respect from Eagles' Defensive Line

PHILADELPHIA – Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave had a lot of options to choose from when asked what was his toughest matchup during one-on-one drills at Eagles' training camp.

The Tracy Rocker-coined Unicorn could have gone multiple ways on Philadelphia's talented offensive line like potential future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, or ascending and powerful second-year star Landon Dickerson.

For Hargrave, though, he went the crafty route.

"I think for me it's probably Isaac [Seumalo]," Hargrave admitted. "... He's real crafty. He's just a unique player. He doesn't show much. He's a balanced offensive lineman. Really he's just a good player that really knows what he's doing."

Seumalo is making the shift from left guard to right guard after missing most of last season after a Lisfranc foot injury that required two surgeries, one to put hardware in and then another to take it out.

Entering camp, the right guard position was projected to be one of the top battles but Seumalo was cleared from Day 1 and has seamlessly made the shift while the competition, third-year player Jack Driscoll, has spent his time backing up Lane Johnson at right tackle and being tortured by Brandon Graham in one-on-ones.

"For me before the snap, it's like a chess match, especially with great players like Javon and Fletch [Fletcher Cox]," Seumalo said. "Not only are they extremely physically gifted but their football IQ and mental IQ for football is off the charts as well so in this game, every little thing counts.

"There's about a million things going through my head at the snap. ...Every rep I take I treat it like it's third-and-long in the Super Bowl."

The attention to detail is getting noticed.

"When people can really switch up their sets or don't show their hands, it's one of the most difficult players to go up against," Hargrave explained. "[Issac is] kinda a vet at doing things like that."

Seumalo may not get noticed as much as his teammates on the offensive line outside the NovaCare Complex.

Inside the walls, however, Seumalo's peers know how underrated the Oregon State product is.

"Coming out the last two weeks I think I've been playing at a really high level," Seumalo said. "... When you ask the guys you're going up against and they say the same thing I appreciate the respect there."

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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