PHILADELPHIA — Dylan McMahon just arrived in South Philadelphia Thursday for the start of his Eagles career, but the rookie center has already received some in-person advice from Jason Kelce.
McMahon, the team’s sixth-round pick out of North Carolina State, was asked Friday if he had a chance to meet Kelce yet.
“I actually did,” McMahon said before the team’s rookies went through a workout Friday on the NovaCare Complex practice fields. “That was pretty crazy. I came in (Thursday) and I had to meet with Mr. Howie (general manager Howie Roseman) and when I went in the weight room to meet him … Jason Kelce was in there and (Roseman) introduced me to Kelce right away. That was a pretty crazy moment because I’ve watched him since I was little playing football.
“He’s the best center to ever do it and to just meet him and have him around this building to be able to pick his brain once in a while is just an amazing experience.”
So what did the two sixth-round picks talk about?
“He looked at me and said, ‘Undersized center?’ ” McMahon said. “We have that in common.”
Yes, they do. Kelce was 6-3 and 280 pounds when the Eagles drafted him 191st overall in the sixth round of the 2011 draft and McMahon checked in at 6-3 and 299 pounds at this year’s draft combine before the Eagles took him with the 190th pick last Saturday.
“We talked a little bit about football and the guys I’ll be facing regularly in our division,” McMahon said. “He just said, ‘Make sure you’re staying in the weight room and putting good weight on you. With the frame of your body, there are good places to put weight and good places to add muscle.’ And then he just wished me good luck. Like I said, it was pretty surreal meeting him and he just said he hopes to be able to help me out in any way he can. It was pretty cool.”
McMahon said he is inspired not only by Kelce’s story, but also the stories of all late-round picks and undrafted players that make it in the NFL.
“There are plenty of those stories … so you know that it’s possible,” McMahon said. “You just have to keep your head down, work hard and really buy into what (offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland) is doing here … and then there’s no ceiling that’s too high.”
McMahon was asked if he planned on hitting up Kelce for more advice in the coming weeks and months.
“I don’t want to bug him,” McMahon said. “I would do it every day if I could. I mean he’s got his own stuff going on. He luckily gave me his number, so if I ever have a question or anything I might just hit him up. If he doesn’t reply, I know he’s got a lot of stuff going on. Hopefully he will eventually. But hopefully I can hit him up as much as I can without bugging him.”
