Super Bowl LVII: Why Jordan Mailata is already a big deal in America
You probably know the name Jordan Mailata by now, if you don’t then these are the four reasons the behemoth from Bankstown is already a household name in the USA.
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He’s the Bankstown behemoth barely 60 minutes of football away from becoming the first Australian to play in and win the Super Bowl.
If Jordan Mailata becomes an NFL champion with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, film producers should be queuing out the door for the movie rights.
The 203cm, 166kg man mountain is Australia’s answer to The Blind Side; the rags-to-riches Hollywood hit recounting the story of Super Bowl-winning ex-Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle, Michael Oher, and his rise from the streets of Memphis, Tennessee to the NFL.
Mailata’s story compares little to Oher’s heartbreak, but it does share a common thread.
Unwanted by the NRL and at one stage on as little as $5000, Mailata downed tools as a labourer to chase his NFL dream.
Told he would be little more than a practice squad player, Mailata defied all the odds to become one of the best left tackles in the NFL.
He now stands to earn a cool $215,000 bonus if he wins the Super Bowl – and that figure pales in comparison to his base salary, a staggering $US16 million per season, which was rated the best bargain buy of 2022.
Already the most successful Australian to play in the NFL, Mailata will make history if his Eagles outlast the Chiefs in Arizona.
Fellow Aussie big man Jesse Williams has a Super Bowl ring, but he never played a down for the Seahawks. Mailata meanwhile could be the second-most important player in a Philly jersey come the morning of February 13.
Now that you’ve read the blurb on his soon-to-be feature film, here are the answers to four key questions that will get you up to speed ahead of Super Bowl 57.
WHO IS JORDAN MAILATA?
A former South Sydney U20s prop turned NFL superstar, Mailata is undoubtedly the most successful Australian athlete to transition to American football. There have been higher-profile code swaps – Jarryd Hayne and Valentine Holmes spring to mind – but no Aussie has been as productive or important to their team as Mailata to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Drafted with pick No. 233 in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft, the 203cm, 166kg Mailata was seen as a long-term investment selection by Philadelphia.
Fast-forward only a few years, and he beat out former first round pick Andre Dillard for the starting left tackle spot and is now considered one of the premiere players at the position in the NFL.
The pre-draft discussion around Mailata was not promising. He had not played a single snap of American football prior to being selected by the Eagles, and early projections had him slated as nothing more than a practice squad player. Now he is off to the Super Bowl.
WHY IS MAILATA MAKING THE SUPER BOWL SUCH A BIG DEAL?
Only one Australian has ever won the Super Bowl – former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jesse Williams, in 2014. However, Williams never played a down in the NFL outside of the pre-season due to injury. He spent the entirety of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning season on Injured Reserve, though still earned a ring for being on the roster.
Former Geelong AFL captain Ben Graham became the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl when his Arizona Cardinals were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009. Graham had five punts in the 27-23 defeat.
Mailata – and possibly Eagles punter Arryn Siposs, should he return from injury – will become just the third and perhaps fourth Australians to feature in America’s largest sporting event.
Siposs, like Graham, will only see the field in punting situations. But as the starting left tackle for the Eagles, Mailata will spend the bulk of the game on the field and play a crucial role in the outcome.
HOW IMPORTANT IS HE TO THE EAGLES?
Last year, ProFootballFocus (PFF) graded Mailata’s four-year, $US64M contract the biggest bargain in the NFL.
That amount of money is eye watering to any Australian athlete – and in the NFL it is definitely good money – but for what Mailata brings to the Eagles, it’s well-spent.
Even the NFL layman knows the quarterback is the most valuable position in the sport – perhaps in all sports. They’re the face of the franchise and whole seasons often rest on the ability, and health, of a team’s QB. The job of an offensive lineman is to protect the QB and thus, the left tackle is often considered the second-most important position. That’s Mailata.
The Eagles looked an unstoppable juggernaut during the regular season before QB Jalen Hurts was forced to miss time due to a shoulder injury. Including the playoffs, Philly is 16-1 with Hurts under centre and 0-2 without. He is crucial to their success and thus, Mailata is as well.
In 2021, his first full-time season as a starter, Mailata graded as the second-best left tackle in the NFL according to PFF. His numbers are marginally down in 2022, however he has been one of the best-performing tackles in the playoffs so far.
WHAT WILL BE HIS ROLE IN THE SUPER BOWL?
As mentioned, Mailata’s main job is to protect quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts helps in this regard because he’s a running QB, able to extend plays with his legs and run himself out of trouble where others may not be able to. But the offensive line is still vitally important.
All eyes will be on the Hurts versus Patrick Mahomes quarterback battle, and rightfully so, given they are the two NFL MVP candidates after impressive seasons under centre.
But Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones was a juggernaut in Kansas City’s AFC Championship Game victory over the Bengals, headlined by a crucial late sack on Joe Burrow.
The Chiefs like to move Jones across the defensive line to help him get to the QB. Mailata will be one of the main men tasked with keeping Jones from crossing the line of scrimmage and getting at Hurts. Minimising Jones’ ability to get to the QB will go a long way to the Eagles winning the Super Bowl.
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Originally published as Super Bowl LVII: Why Jordan Mailata is already a big deal in America
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