Eagles' 3rd-round pick eager to learn from Johnson and Mailata

Long before Markel Bell was selected by the Eagles in the third-round last week, he would watch Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata on tape.

Now he gets to see them in person. Every day.

“They both reached out on draft night and said, ‘Man, congratulations. We’ll work with you,’” Bell said Thursday afternoon, the eve of rookie minicamp. “And I’m just ready to get right beside them, be a sponge, and learn everything I can from the great two vets.”

Why did Bell watch the Eagles’ starting tackles while he was still at Miami?

The answer is pretty simple.

“They’re good,” Bell said. “They’re the best, man. Not really too much I can say to that question. I mean, I  watch a lot of good guys, but them two for sure. For me to have them at my leisure, that’s a blessing.”

Johnson has been the Eagles starting right tackle for the last 13 seasons and has built an impressive Hall of Fame career. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and one of the best offensive linemen in the league.

And Mailata is no slouch either. While the giant Australian hasn’t yet made a Pro Bowl team, he has been the Eagles starting left tackle for the last five full seasons and is considered to be one of the best in the NFL. And at 6-foot-8, 365 pounds, Mailata has unique size.

Bell (6-9, 345) likes to watch big players because he’s one himself.

“Jordan, he’s a big guy. He’s his own player. He’s a big freak,” Bell said. “One thing I admire about him is the way he moves, the way he anchors on power and just plays the game. It’s the kind of attitude I take. I just play my own game. Just be who I am.”

Bell has trained with offensive line expert Duke Manyweather and was at OL Masterminds summit last summer in Texas. That’s where he met Johnson for the first time in person.

The Eagles have rookie camp this weekend but the whole team (at least most of the team) will be together later this month when OTAs begin on May 26. That will be Bell’s chance to be around Johnson and Mailata even more.

Until then, he’s just enjoying the fact that he’s in the NFL.

“Man, just first getting the phone call, man, it was a blessing,” Bell said. “It was a dream come true. But I’ve obviously just been getting my mind ready to come in and just work. That’s all. And work starts tomorrow.”