4 Philadelphia Eagles who could cement Hall of Fame legacy in 2020
By Ben Swanger
Jason Kelce. 62. player. 54. . .
Jason Kelce might go down as the best draft pick in Philadelphia Eagles history.
In the sixth round of 2011’s NFL Draft, the Eagles took Jason Kelce with the 191st-overall selection. Now, he’s coming off of his third straight All-Pro nod. Seeing as how there aren’t any major measurable statistics for offensive linemen, let’s dive into the PFF diagnostics.
Between the years of 2015 and 2019, Kelce has been the highest-graded run-blocking offensive lineman in the league. He’s been graded as the best center in football for three straight seasons. And he was ranked 52nd on PFF’s All-Decade list.
Kelce’s talent and athleticism are unmatched. You’ll see him sprinting down the field stride for stride with skill players, taking out two, three, or four defenders in the same play. He never leaves the lineup either as he’s been in for 95 percent or more of the snaps for six of the last seven seasons, 2014 being the only exception. Kelce has started every game for five straight seasons, and now that Brandon Brooks is down, the anchor in the middle has never been more important.
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Kelce’s coming into his tenth season in the NFL. He’s flirted with retirement in the past. He even gave the fans a funny scare earlier this year. If he does call it quits after ten seasons, or even 11, only one center in the Hall, Dwight Stephenson, would have played fewer seasons than him.
Kelce is just the fourth player in franchise history to earn All-Pro three times and be a champion, and he’s the first if we’re talking Super Bowls. The other three are already enshrined. Their names are Chuck Bednarik, Pete Pihos, and Steve Van Buren.
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The bearded legend has the talent to go down as one of the best centers to ever do it and the best of his time, but in order to cement his legacy, a fourth All-Pro season in ten years could do the trick.
A 16-game dominant season capped by a Pro Bowl appearance and an All-Pro nod could catapult Kelce’s name into football immortality. If one of the Eagles’ best draft selections calls it quits, it will be a tall task for the team to replace him. Pencil it in. Jason Kelce is a Hall of Famer.