Philadelphia Eagles: Jason Kelce tops center power rankings

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce finds himself on top of another power rankings list for his respective position.

Who would’ve thought a center would get so many props in the city of Philadelphia? Typically, football is a sport where the flashy positions get all of the credit — quarterbacks, wide receivers, running back, etc. However, in Philadelphia, we don’t forget the big men in the trenches.

Sure, the offensive line might not be the flashiest positional unit in the sport, but the respect for it is undoubtedly there. Long before he threw on a mummers costume and performed the speech of a lifetime, Jason Kelce was receiving massive amounts of love in Philly.

It’s unfortunate that some believed he was beginning to be washed up before that 2017 season, but thankfully the Eagles held onto him.

The Eagles loyalty and ability to believe in Jason Kelce is surely paying off nowadays. For a moment, we did think it was possible they could let go of him before 2017, but the Eagles didn’t trust their immediate replacement enough. So they rolled with Kelce, and it turns out, he ended up being the best center in the league by receiving All-Pro honors.

Last year, Kelce struggled to stay healthy, but we didn’t even know that fact until after the season concluded. That’s when Kelce revealed that he had a long list of nagging injuries that he fought through. And believe it or not, he received All-Pro honors for the second year in a row in 2018. At this point, does that solidify Kelce’s spot as the best center in football right now? The Touchdown Wire seems to think so, according to their newest center power rankings.

Some more praise for Kelce

"“A sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft out of Cincinnati, Kelce is one of the best draft bargains of his era. He’s allowed just 11 sacks and 138 total pressures in 7,902 career snaps, and over the last few seasons, he’s transformed himself from a mobile, agile center with some strength issues into the most complete center in the NFL. In 2018, he allowed no sacks and just 11 total pressures in 1,153 snaps.”“Kelce has always been tremendous when on the move—he targets at the second level exceptionally well, and he gets on the hoof on sweeps and pulls with quickness and a consistent pad level. What’s been different in recent seasons is how he uses leg drive, a low pad level, and active arms to work bigger defenders out of the play—and to the ground, if necessary.” “Kelce’s career is an optimal example of how a player can come into the NFL with a few attributes and over time, become a total player—and the best player at his position.”"

Recently, Doug Farrar of The Touchdown Wire ranked the top eleven centers in the NFL. To nobodies surprise, Jason Kelce topped the list at number one. He’s an All-Pro, and a Pro Bowler, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s viewed as the best.

Right now, it seems like Kelce has officially reached his peak. And his downfall doesn’t seem to be approaching just yet — hence the reason why the Eagles decided to offer him a small extension. Although Kelce teased a potential retirement close to the end of the 2018 season, he ultimately couldn’t go through with it quite yet. The 31-year-old center still has plenty of gas left in the tank, and will most likely have the opportunity to compete in midnight green for as long as he would like to at this point.