PHILADELPHIA – He walked into the locker room and Dylan McMahon looked like he had seen a ghost. It was just Jason Kelce. Just Jason Kelce.
As if running into a likely first-ballot Hall of Fame player is an everyday occurrence for the Philadelphia Eagles rookie. The meeting came on Thursday, as rookies began filtering for the team’s rookie minicamp, which got underway on Friday and will run through Saturday.
McMahon went into the team’s weight room looking for general manager Howie Roseman, who was working out, and Kelce was in there with Roseman. The GM quickly introduced McMahon to Kelce.
Ed Kracz/Eagles Today
Already, there are comparisons that McMahon could become Kelce’s replacement, though Cam Jurgens appears to have that position locked down at the moment. McMahon was taken in the sixth round, with pick No. 190. Kelce also came in the sixth round back in 2011, No. 191 overall.
“That was a pretty crazy moment because I watched him since I was little playing football,” said McMahon., who grew up in Savannah, Ga., and went to North Carolina State. “He’s the best center to ever do it. Just to meet him and have him around this building to be able to pick his brain every once in a while will just be an amazing experience.”
Kelce said to McMahon upon meeting him, “Undersized center?”
Undersized indeed.
McMahon is 6-3, 299 pounds. Kelce entered the league at 6-3, 280, and retired after 13 years in Philly at 6-3, 295.
The two talked football and Kelce gave him a quick tutorial in defensive linemen McMahon will have to concern himself with no. He also told him to stay in the weight room.
“(He said) you can put good weight on you with the frame of your body there’s places to put weight on,” said McMahon. “Good weight and muscle. He wished me good luck. Like I said it was pretty surreal meeting him. He said he hopes to be able to help me out in any ways he can, so that will be pretty cool.”
Kelce gave McMahon his phone number and told him to reach out whenever he had a question.
McMahon, though, doesn’t want to make a habit of that.
“I don’t wanna bug him,” he said. “I’d do it every day if I could but he’s got his own stuff going around. Luckily, he gave me his number so if I ever have a question or anything I might just hit him up. If he doesn’t reply, because I know he has a lot of stuff going on, but hopefully he will eventually. But as much as I can without bugging him for sure.”
Who knows, if McMahon can develop quickly enough, maybe he will start at center and Jurgens stays at right guard?
Kelce was drafted and was plugged into the starting lineup immediately, though he had o-line coach Howard Mudd in his corner.
Perhaps Jeff Stoutland will be in McMahon’s corner.
“He’s awesome,” said McMahon about his new line coach. “He’s got a lot of fire behind him and I love that in an offensive line coach, and just the knowledge he brings to the game.
“I already learned so much on just the few Zoom calls and now in-person meetings I’ve had with him, just the amount of knowledge he’s already brought out and made my game better just the first few days I’ve met with him.”
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