PHILADELPHIA -- For the majority of his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has called Lane Johnson "the best tackle in the world." He hasn't shied away from that title, even as Johnson is hitting his mid 30s.
This season, Johnson may not even be the best tackle on his own team. Johnson's fellow tackle on the Eagles' offensive line, Jordan Mailata, is the highest graded tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (94.9). Mailata is the highest graded offensive lineman in all of football, first in run blocking (94.2) and second in pass blocking (91.5).
The former rugby star turned offensive lineman has had a meteoric rise to becoming the highest-graded offensive lineman in football -- as the 27-year-old Mailata is on his way toward becoming an All-Pro for the first time.
"Oh yeah, he's coming," Johnson said. "I think he's having one of his best years. You know, I feel like every year he just keeps elevating."
Mailata's pass-blocking numbers are easily the best of his career. He has allowed just one sack and eight pressures in 260 pass-blocking snaps this season, a pressure rate allowed per dropback of 3.1%. Mailata is 10th amongst all offensive tackles in pressure rate allowed per dropback.
Johnson is first at 1.7%. He's still impressed with the strides Mailata has made, being with him since the start of his journey as a seventh-round pick in 2018.
"From coming from where he was, not playing any football to the best left tackle in football I think," Johnson said. "I don't think anybody can run block the way he can and pass pro, first time anybody that size that can move the way it does.
"So I think he's having an All-Pro year. You know, I want to finish strong and all that stuff comes after the year but I think he's on pace for. ... Somebody's never really done that. coming from where he came from."
The Eagles and Broncos are the only teams in football where both their tackles are ranked in the top 10 in pressure rate per dropback around and they are the only team where both their tackles are graded in the top-10 by PFF.
As Mailata continues to ascend into the elite tackles in football, is Sirianni ready to relent on his title for Johnson?
"He's playing really good football," Sirianni said. "Yeah, he is powerful in the run game. He and Landon are able to work double teams together. When they don't, he's able to move guys in the run game, whether it's inside zone or outside zone, blocking down, blocking out.
"And then very reliable in the pass game. Such a big body to have to get around. He's a huge dude."
The 34-year-old Johnson, still in the prime of his career, knows how good Mailata can be. This is just the start of Mailata's prime.
"I don't think anybody can run block the way he can. At his size and his movement skills at that size, nobody can do that," Johnson said. "Usually you have guys 370, 365, they can't move. He can do it all. And, yeah, I mean, other than the hamstring, that's the only thing that can stop him or a f---ing gun, that's about the only thing that can stop Jordan Mailata.
"He's on his way and he knows it. We've all known it. We've seen him progress over the years. But yeah, he's, he's premier, he's elite."
