Jason Kelce’s input helped influence Eagles to select Cam Jurgens

In every NFL franchise, players come and go. That’s the nature of pro football’s grind with all of its 32 teams. The Philadelphia Eagles are no different. Cam Jurgens was drafted in Round 2 for a reason. Jason Kelce isn’t going to play forever (even if we believe that he probably could if that’s what he wanted to do).

Even though, these days, it feels like Philly holds on to guys for much longer than they should, there’s been more than one occasion in which we’ve all had to shed a few tears when someone we love says goodbye.

Seeing Brian Dawkins run around in a Denver Broncos jersey hurt as it did when Duce Staley left twice, first as a player when he got out of the door and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers and, second, when he left the coaching staff to join the Detroit Lions.

Kelce is assured of three things: He’ll never have to buy a beer in Philly again. He’s an Eagle for life and a shoo-in for the franchise’s Hall of Fame, and one day, his bust will be carved when he takes his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

So, of course, it’s understandable why the Eagles would listen if he had something to say.

Cam Jurgens is an Eagle, and Jason Kelce is a big reason for that being the case.

After an action-packed first night during the NFL Draft, Day 2 brought surprises and some fun as well. Jordan Davis arrived at the NovaCare Complex and spent some time with the media. Philly landed the steal of the draft by taking a prospect who had earned first-round grades in Round 3, Nakobe Dean.

Then, there’s the man they landed in Round 2 with the 51st-overall selection, Cam Jurgens. Over the past two seasons, Philly has entrusted Kelce with the responsibility of scouting prospects over the past two seasons, so when one of the best and most beloved BIrds of all time says the former Nebraska Cornhusker is the closest thing in the current selection meeting to himself, of course, the Eagles brass is going to listen.

Take a look.

Might the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time First-Team All-Pro have a front office job in his future? Don’t rule it out. Vice president/general manager Howie Roseman put it this way in Philly’s post-draft presser after the selection meeting’s second night:

"Whenever he decides to not play any more which, hopefully, a long time down the line, he can help us in any way he wants. He said ‘Hey, I love the draft process’. We gave him a few offensive lineman, and because Kelce’s here working out all of the time, they’re here during top-30 visits, Cam comes into my office and says ‘I just got to meet Jason Kelce. He’s awesome’… Kelce saw all of the same things that we saw. We think Cam has a chance to be a very special player in this offense."

So, to make long stories short, sure, Philly probably needed to address the safety or cornerback position before adding a backup center who won’t play for at least a year, but when your GM goes to one of the best players in franchise history and says “We have an unbelievable opportunity for a guy who’s really talented to learn from the best who’s ever (played center) here and the legend is on board, we can see how Cam Jurgens winds up being the 51st-overall selection.

In 2021, the Birds, in Round 2, took what some believed would wind up being the best interior lineman of the class, Landon Dickerson. That seems to be working out well so far.

Here we are, one year later, and they might have struck gold again. Tyler Linderbaum was widely seen as the best center of the 2022 draft class, but some believe Jurgens might wind up being the better player.

This was a solid pick on Day 2. Sure, we wanted a corner. We wanted a safety, but Cam Jurgens is a home-run selection at 51. You just wait and see.