Imagine never playing a snap of American football and still being drafted into the NFL. It sounds far-fetched, but not for Jordan Mailata. As training camp kicks off and players return to the grind, it serves as a reminder of how far Mailata has come. The Philadelphia Eagles’ superstar offensive tackle has had an unlikely rise to NFL stardom, but Mailata wasn’t drafted by accident. His size and strength as a rugby star caught the attention of the Eagles’ front office.

How did he get here?

Jordan Mailata is now considered one of the best young tackles in football. His performance has even sparked conversations about how overlooked offensive linemen are in awards voting, which is a testament to his dominance at a position that rarely gets national attention. So how did the Eagles turn a former pro rugby player, who knew next to nothing about football, into one of the best and highest-paid at his position? The second-team All-Pro Mailata credits longtime Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who has a reputation as one of the best offensive line coaches in football.

Mailata’s journey to the NFL began playing for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an Australian National Rugby League team. His pay was so poor that he had to work a second job. He would wake up at 5 a.m., work for a demolition crew, and do other odd jobs, just to keep the lights on. In 2014, his rugby career came to a screeching halt when he collapsed during a practice and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a heart condition called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition that  required two surgeries to repair the chambers in his heart.

After a year and a half of recovery, he returned to the sport more than 40 pounds heavier. The Rabbitohs offered him a one-year contract for just $3,500, with the possibility of a better deal if he lost the weight. Mailata and his management rejected the team’s offer, believing their expectations were unrealistic given his low body fat percentage.

Mailata and his management team decided to send tape to other rugby teams. NFL executives discovered him during that process and invited him to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, which helps athletes from around the world learn the game and enter the draft.

The Gamble

Mailata told his parents he wanted to leave his rugby dream behind, but they initially pushed back.

“I was trying to break into rugby league, and they really wanted me to see that through,” he told GQ. Eventually, they gave their blessing for him to learn the game in America and see if he could make it onto an NFL roster.

After a 10-week football crash course at IMG Academy in Florida, Mailata impressed scouts enough  during his Pro Day showcase at the end of the corse to enter his name into the draft. In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Eagles took a chance on the Australian, selecting him in the seventh round with the 233rd overall pick. Mailata is a true anomaly, a player who had never played football, drafted in the late rounds, and yet has become a superstar. Today, analysts widely recognize him as one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL..

As the Eagles franchise left tackle, Jordan Mailata has been ranked as the 69th-best player in the NFL, an impressive feat by any measure. Still, many believe he was ranked too low. According to Pro Football Focus, it has Mailata rated as the 11th-best player in the entire league based on last season’s performance. He has come a long way from working demolition shifts and grinding through rugby practices to make ends meet, to recovering from two heart surgeries at just 17, and now, nearly a decade later, rising to become one of the best at a sport he barely knew. Mailata’s story is as improbable as it is inspiring.

In April 2024, Mailata inked a $66 million contract extension, cementing his place as a cornerstone of the Eagles’ future. At 28, he is a Super Bowl champion who has secured generational wealth for his family. He is a living testament to belief, resilience, and relentless work ethic and the importance of betting on yourself. Off the field, he has recorded three Christmas albums with his fellow offensive linemen and even appeared on The Masked Singer, where he wowed audiences with his vocal talent. As the NFL season progresses  , keep your eyes on the Australian superstar as he continues his unlikely story.