PHILADELPHIA -- Dylan McMahon and Jason Kelce have quite a few similarities, besides the obvious of being Philadelphia Eagles draft picks.
Kelce was 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds when he was drafted as a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2011. McMahon is a little bigger at 6-foot-3 and 299 pounds, or about the same size Kelce was when he retired (6-foot-3, 299 pounds).
It didn't take long for the two to make their acquaintance, as Kelce was hanging out in the NovaCare Complex weight room prior to Eagles rookie minicamp this week. The rookies were starstruck, including McMahon, whom Kelce had a few words for.
"First he looked at me and said, 'Undersized center? We have that in common,'" McMahon said at the NovaCare Complex on Friday. "[We] just talked a little bit about football and the guys I'll be facing regularly in our division. 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.'"
To add even more similarities with Kelce and McMahon, Kelce was selected at pick No. 191 in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Thirteen years later, McMahon was selected one pick earlier -- at No. 190 in the sixth round.
Kelce was once an afterthought as a sixth-round pick before having a great training camp and earning his way into the starting center role in Week 1 of his rookie campaign. There were some peaks and valleys along the way, but Kelce became one of the greatest centers in NFL history and a future Hall of Famer.
Players like Kelce are why McMahon believes he has a chance to shine in the NFL, even as an undersized center.
"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 [Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland] is doing here."
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made sure McMahon and Kelce were able to get acquainted, attempting to maximize every opportunity for the sixth-round rookie to succeed in the league. McMahon doesn't have to start in Week 1 (the Eagles have Cam Jurgens at center), but there could be an opportunity if Jurgens were to go down with an injury.
Kelce is willing to help out McMahon in any way he can. McMahon will make sure he listens and be ready if his number is called.
"He's the best center to ever do it," McMahon said. "Just to meet him and have him around this building to be able to pick his brain once in a while is just an amazing experience."
