WASHINGTON (USA TODAY) — The Philadelphia Eagles acquired the 233rd overall pick in the seventh round of the NFL draft in a trade with the New England Patriots on Saturday.
And their new offensive tackle brings an interesting skill-set to the City of Brotherly Love.
That's because he hasn't played a down of football.
Jordan Mailata is a 6-8, 346-pound rugby player from Australia — where he starred for the South Sydney Rabbitohs (there are YouTube clips of him bulldozing opponents).
Mailata hadn't considered playing football until November of 2017.
"It's a fun sport, you know? Why not give it a try?" he said on NFL Network after being selected. "It's been an absolute brainstorm of an experience."
The Eagles hosted Mailata, 20, in Philadelphia and were likely impressed by his raw talent, which included a 40-yard dash time of 5.12 seconds (good enough for seventh best among tackles in the NFL combine in February).
The Eagles were initially set to pick at No. 250 in the seventh round but sent that pick and a 2019 seventh rounders to the Patriots to move up.
Mailata is just the second international player drafted, with German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer being the other.
