Philadelphia Eagles: Cam Jurgens is the latest Jason Kelce heir

And with the 51st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select: Cam Jurgens, center, Nebraska.

That’s right, in the Howie Roseman-est of Howie Roseman moves, the GM in question went back to the trenches to pair up his new franchise defensive tackle with an athletically gifted center who could be to Jason Kelce what Jordan Davis is to Fletcher Cox.

I know, I know, Jurgens isn’t Nakobe Dean. He isn’t going to play cornerback opposite Darius Slay or even man the back of the defense like some of the solid safeties still on the board, but do you know what? I get it; Roseman has consistently fielded winners when his offensive and defensive lines are ticking like finely tuned machines, and bringing in Jurgens, whether he starts at right guard or is used as an interior reserve, is like stacking a strength on top of a strength.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, Jurgens isn’t the tallest, heaviest, or strongest center in the business, but he is a wickedly fast mover who ran a 4.93 40 with a 1.71 10 yard split at the combine, which ranks in the 97th and 90th percentile respectively, according to Mockdraftable. Jurgens can get off the ball in a hurry and has a wonderful ability to block into the second and even third level of a defense both between the tackles and as a pulling lead blocking in open space.

When you consider Jurgens has only allowed four QB hits and one sack over the past three seasons in Nebraska, I’d call him worthy of a mid-second round pick to be sure.

Whether he plays this year, next year, or midway through his rookie contract, Cam Jurgens will probably, hopefully, become the Philadelphia Eagles’ center of the future, and when that day eventually comes, he will have some huge shoes to fill.

The Philadelphia Eagles have drafted yet another heir for Jason Kelce.

When the Philadelphia Eagles picked Isaac Seumalo with their second selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, it was to be the heir apparent to Jason Kelce. Sure, the team planned on playing Kelce and Seumalo together, with the latter shifted outside to guard, but by the time he was extension eligible, surely the pride of Oregon State would be handing off the ball to Carson Wentz in no time.

… except that didn’t happen; Seumalo remained at guard for his entire rookie-scale contract and signed an extension to play guard for the foreseeable future.

Then, in 2021, the Eagles did it again, drafting Landon Dickerson out of Alabama to serve as the team’s center in waiting. Like Seumalo, Dickerson played some guard both at Alabama and Florida State, but his highest heights were achieved at center, where he won the Rimington Trophy award for the best center in the nation.

… except that didn’t happen either; Dickerson had a deceptively great rookie season at left guard and looked like a perfect long-term partner in crime for Jordan Mailata on the left side.

And now, with Jurgens in place, Dickerson will likely never play center again – barring disaster – as he will take up the moniker of Robin until Kelce hangs up his cleats for good and begins the next chapter of his life as a bar owner/WIP host/combination bar owner and WIP host.

Will some quibble with the selection? Yes. Will fans post highlights of Nakobe Dean next to the former Cornhusker sitting on the bench? You bet; Philly fans are going to Philly fan after all, but personally, I get this pick; Howie Roseman has a certain way he likes to compose his Philadelphia Eagles teams, and you can’t fault a band for playing their hits.