Australian NFL giant Jordan Mailata recalls the brutal moment he was put on his backside in the US

A terrifying one-on-one encounter shortly after stepping on US soil was Aussie Jordan Mailata’s official “welcome to America” moment.

If you haven’t heard of Jordan Mailata yet, consider this your formal introduction.

Born in western Sydney in 1997, the towering NFL prospect is a rare human phenomenon only seen in the upper echelons of professional sport.

Weighing in at around 155kg and standing just over 2m tall, the 21-year-old was scouted by NFL executives in his late teens while playing prop for the South Sydney U20s.

His physique alone sent a lightning bolt of excitement up the spine of recruiters — this was no ordinary rugby league player.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mailata explained the radical transition from western Sydney to being drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.

Coming from a Samoan background, American Football was a massive learning curve for the young Aussie. One particularly brutal moment from his first fortnight training on US soil stood out for Mailata as his “welcome to America” moment.

Jordan Mailata isn’t your average 21yo bloke.

Jordan Mailata ringing the bell at Australian Heritage night.

“I remember it was training camp, week two. We were doing a drill where it was one-on-one,” Mailata recalled. “I rose way too high and exposed my chest … I just got bullrushed. Helmet to the face and put on my arse.”

“His name was Steven Means — he just got contracted again with the Atlanta Falcons.”

Mailata learned very quickly that technique is everything. He remembers “everyone making a big deal” of his knockdown, which came from the comparatively minuscule (1.9m) Means.

“It didn’t trouble me or worry me. I said ‘I’m going to learn from this’. He told me ‘you come up too early, I knew you’d be playing on your tippy toes so I just tried to bull you because that’s the best move’.

“By the end of the training camp ... I wasn’t getting bullrushed anymore.”

Mailata said he was overwhelmed by the volume of food in the US. As an offensive tackle, the 21-year-old’s diet comes in at a whopping 4800 calories a day.

“They’ve got a lot of food here, that’s what shocked me, but they claim to have everything in the world — what they don’t have is bloody pies,” he said.

Mailata was one of the Aussies on show in Philadelphia on Friday as a part of the Down Under entourage for the Australian Heritage Night, hosted by none other than Four’N Twenty in their bid to crack into the USA market.

The growing Australian population in Philadelphia includes NBA stars Ben Simmons and Jonah Bolden, who have become Sixers favourites throughout their short time in the league.

The 155kg giant is being tipped as a future NFL All-Pro.

INJURY STRIKES AUSSIE GIANT

Mailata was struck down with a season-ending back injury late in 2018, dashing hopes of a late season rise to the Eagles’ starting squad.

There have been some big statements made about the potential superstar, despite not having experience as a youngster playing the game.

After seeing Mailata in action during the Eagles’ penultimate pre-season game against the New York Jets, former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker predicted the Aussie giant will go on to become a star of the game and go All-Pro — an honour decided by the NFL media for the best players in each position every season.

“I no longer think 21-year-old Aussie LT Jordan Mailata is going to be a starting LT in the NFL,” Tucker tweeted.

“I think he’s going to be All-Pro. Borderline obsessed with this dude at this point. This is crazy. Eagles are going to go right from Peters to Peters Jr.”

He’ll just have to wait a little longer to get his shot.

Originally published as Australian NFL giant Jordan Mailata recalls the brutal moment he was put on his backside in the US