Ex-Chiefs Star Doubted Andy Reid’s Decision to Draft ‘Little’ Jason Kelce as Eagles Center

Jason Kelce has created a legacy in the football league second to none. The Philadelphia Eagles star was the 2017 Super Bowl Champion and ended his career as a seven-time Pro Bowl achiever, along with several other records to his name in his 12-year-long career.

Today, his name is synonymous with his prowess as a player in the franchise; however, his draft was deemed a questionable decision by many. The sixth-round draft was the 191st pick by the Eagles in 2011, under doubts of many of his teammates and analysts alike. One such naysayer who later changed his mind was an ex-Chiefs and Eagles running back, LeSean McCoy.

It was the 2011 NFL Draft, and the present Kansas City Chiefs kingmaker, Andy Reid, was the head coach of Philadelphia. Along with the general manager, Howie Roseman, the HC picked a 6’3″, 280lb football player who lacked ‘true NFL size’ but would go on to become the first rookie center in the franchise history to start all games.

Jason Kelce didn’t look like a center but soon enough impressed everyone with his skill, football knowledge, and strength, as echoed by former teammate LeSean McCoy in a recent interview. The former RB, who went on to play for the Chiefs, Bills, and the Buccaneers before retiring in 2021, talked about his initial reaction to Reid after a young Kelce joined the team.

“I’m older than Kelce, right, so Andy Reid -we drafted him…I’m like, “Coach, this dude [is] little, man. You think he can block in the league? I mean, you know what I’m saying, I’m the running back. What [are] we doing?” He [Reid] said just give him time, LeSean, give him time.” [I] said, “All right, cool coach.””

McCoy’s surprise at the new rookie in their crew came concerning their then-center Jamal Jackson, who stood at 6’4″, 325 lb, and had been with the Eagles for eight seasons. But Kelce would compete with Jackson during his training camp debut and later replace him, becoming the starter himself. Soon, McCoy would go back to Reid with a different story about the recruit!

McCoy feels Kelce is “one of the best players” he has ever played with

The former NFL star revealed how, despite his initial doubts, he got a pleasant surprise watching Kelce play in the training camp. “As the camp went on, I remember going to the coach like, “Yo, this center we got, he’s the real effing deal. He’s tough, he’s super smart, and -the best thing about him: he’s super athletic.”

McCoy further expressed that, according to him, the retired center is one of the “best players” in the league. The RB also feels that a lot of people “jumped on” to the Jason Kelce hype train after watching his emotional retirement speech or because “he’s been playing for a long time.” But the new fans might not realize the extent of “how good he really is,” he opined.

“I played with him. I know how good he is. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with.” The two-time Super Bowl champion’s words are a testament to how Jason Kelce cemented his place as one of the pillars of the franchise.