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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Eagles drafted offensive lineman Andre Dillard with the 22nd overall pick. It didn’t hurt the feelings of Jordan Mailata, the former Australian rugby player.
Mailata, a seventh-round pick in 2018, didn’t play any snaps as a rookie. He landed on injured reserve in December with a back injury.
“I don’t think it slows down anything,” Mailata said, via Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “I think every year they’re going to choose the best people to draft, and ‘Dre just happened to be one of the best tackles in the draft, and obviously you want that. You want that on your team. I want that on my team. I don’t believe it hinders my progression or where they have me on the depth chart. I think it’s just a plus for us that we got ‘Dre, and for me it’s going to make me work harder. He’s a great guy. At the end of the day, it doesn’t hinder my progression.”
Dillard and Mailata will compete for the swing tackle job backing up Jason Peters and Lane Johnson, with Halapoulivaati Vaitai now working at guard.
Vaitai has started 17 games at tackle over the past three seasons, and he replaced the injured Peters for all three games during the team’s Super Bowl run in 2017.
Dillard and Mailata give the Eagles good depth at the tackle position, giving them the luxury of practicing Vaitai at guard.
Mailata, 21, is ahead of where he was this time last year and ready to compete for playing time with Dillard.
“Last year, yeah, it was crazy,” Mailata said. “It’s day and night for me from I walked in last year till now. Everything. Understanding the playbook, understanding the technique — everything.”