Underappreciated but known value, Jordan Mailata takes the cake
Jordan Mailata was labeled as one of the NFL’s most underappreciated players.
On Thursday, NFL.com put together its list of the NFC's most underappreciated players.
Headlining that list included noon window Hall of Famer Kirk Cousins and Osa Odighizuwa. When Cynthia Frelund came to the Philadelphia Eagles, however, her pick for the most underappreciated player wasn't the likes of Jalen Hurts, and it shouldn't be because he just received a historic contract. Instead, Frelund went with Jordan Mailata as the Eagles' most underappreciated player out of the bunch.
Frelund was able to conjure up a list of underappreciated players by ranking each player's season-long contribution metric by team (win share). Then Frelund factored each player's salary by position (contract data via Over The Cap) to add some context around who was being underappreciated. Frelund also prioritized players that didn't switch teams during the offseason. And finally, Frelund weighted players drafted in Round 2 or later who have been to no more than two Pro Bowls and aren't in the top 10 at their position.
That is how the listed landed Mailata as the Eagles' most underappreciated player.
Take a look at what Frelund had to say about Mailata being underappreciated:
"According to computer vision, Mailata was able to keep defenders away from runners behind him — or to the two gaps to either side of him — longer than any other left tackle in 2022. PFF gave him the ninth-best overall grade among all tackles last season. I really like tracking Mailata, as the former rugby player is still new to this game. Thus, he's probably still a ways away from peak performance, which is frightening for all Eagles opponents."
While Mailata could fly under the radar for some, the Eagles themselves see how valuable he is. Before the 2021 season, Philadelphia signed the offensive tackle to a four-year extension worth $64 million.
It is an extension that has worked out well so far, and the Eagles are looking for more of the same in 2023.
