PHILADELPHA – The new center met the incumbent center on Friday morning as Eagles rookie minicamp began in South Philly.
“Just introduced myself, said hi to him,” said the new center, fifth-round draft pick Drew Kendall. “Just small talk, nothing too crazy.”
The incumbent center, of course, is Cam Jurgens, who is as entrenched at the position as they come. So much so that the Eagles listed Kendall as a center/guard when they drafted him last Saturday, so his quickest path to playing time may be converting to guard while being Jurgens' backup.
Meanwhile, the old center is still out there, and Kendall will meet him soon enough. That would be former Eagles great and likely Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Kelce.
“That was my favorite tape to watch, my favorite center to watch, was Jason Kelce,” said Kendall. “So, I’m very familiar. He did amazing, incredible things here, so it’s a very special building, a very special place to play center. I take that with a lot of honor.”
Kendall’s favorite part of the Kelce tape was the way Kelce was able to pull. Snapping the ball then pulling is very unnatural for a center. Even just snapping the ball is a challenge.
“I loved the way he pulled,” said Kendall. “He got out in space and really attacked the second level. He got on the second level really fast, and really stressed the linebackers. I thought that was really good, and that really made the run game go. So that was a really special thing that he did.”
Kendall even went a step further when asked after the rookies’ walkthrough on Friday morning how influential Kelce has been at the center position in general.
“In my lifetime, probably the most influential center that has played in the National Football League,” he said. “What he did in Philly is incredible. Just such a great talent and such a great guy. So, just watching him on film, and watching his press conferences, he’s just a stand-up guy. He’s definitely changed the game.”
