Philadelphia Eagles: 30 greatest players in franchise history
By John Buhler
. C. (2011-present). Jason Kelce. 25. player. 54
When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted center Jason Kelce in the sixth round out of Cincinnati in the 2011 NFL Draft, they couldn’t have known he’d be the vocal leader of the Eagles’ first Super Bowl championship seven years later. I mean, his speech during the victory parade in full-on Mummers Parade garb has to be one of the greatest speeches of all-time. It’s hysterical and one of a kind.
Speech and luscious beard aside, Kelce is one of the best centers, and offensive linemen, in the NFL today. To date, he has played in 94 games for the Eagles, starting in all of them. He has been a Pro Bowler twice in 2014 and 2016. Despite not making the Pro Bowl this past year, Kelce made his first All-Pro first team and won the Super Bowl. Keep in mind that he is playing in the NFL at the same time as other elite centers like Travis Frederick, Rodney Hudson and Alex Mack.
In Kelce’s tenure with the Eagles, he has had three head coaches. The first being Andy Reid during his first two years in the league. Now Reid coaches Kelce’s younger brother in All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce with the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce lived through the entire Chip Kelly era of Eagles football (2013-15). He has taken great strides since Doug Pederson has taken over the club in 2016.
Kelce is only 30 years old and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The Eagles’ offensive line might be the best in football with guys like Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson and Jason Peters on it. If the Eagles do end up repeating as Super Bowl champions, it will be because of their great line play. No team was as good in the trenches last year than the 2017 Eagles. Obviously, Kelce was a massive part of that.