Jason Kelce

Jason Kelce

refer to caption Kelce in the 2013 NFL season.
No. 62 Philadelphia Eagles
Position:	Center
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1987-11-05) November 5, 1987
Place of birth:	Cleveland, Ohio
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Cleveland Heights (OH)
College:	Cincinnati
NFL draft:	2011 / Round: 6 / Pick: 191
Career history
Philadelphia Eagles (2011–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2014) Pro Football Focus All-Pro (2013) Ed Block Courage Award (2013) 2× Second-team All-Big East honors (2009, 2010) Honorable mention All-America honors (2010) Third-team Sophomore All-America honors (2008)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2015
Games played: 62 Games started: 62 Player stats at NFL.com

Jason D. Kelce (/ˈkɛlˌsiː/; born November 5, 1987) is an American football center for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati.

Early life

Kelce grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the son of Ed, a sales rep in the steel business, and Donna, who works in banking. He attended Cleveland Heights High School, where he played both running back and linebacker and was twice named All-Lake Erie-Lake League.

College career

A former walk-on linebacker, Kelce switched to offensive line after redshirting his initial year at Cincinnati, seeing action at center and guard in nine games in 2007 as the Bearcats went 10-3 and defeated Southern Mississippi 31-21 in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.

As a sophomore in 2008, he made 13 starts at left guard, as part of an offensive line that also included future NFL linemen Jeff Linkenbach and Trevor Canfield, which helped the UC offense average 27.3 points and 375.3 yards of total offense per game. The Bearcats went 11-3 overall, were Big East champions, and played in the FedEx Orange Bowl, where the Bearcats fell to Virginia Tech 20-7.

In 2009, Kelce earned second-team All-Big East honors after starting 13 games at left guard as the Bearcats went undefeated in the regular season (12-0) and were again Big East Champions, once again earning a BCS Bowl berth, losing to Florida 51-24 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

He was moved to center for his senior season in 2010 as the Bearcats went 4-8 under new coach Butch Jones. He started the final 38 games of his 47-game Bearcats' career, 26 at left guard and 12 at center. He was named Honorable Mention All-America and second team All-Big East.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

Despite lacking "true NFL size", Kelce was projected a fourth to fifth round pick. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of all offensive linemen at the 2011 NFL Scouting Combine, with a 4.89-second time. He had an appendectomy on March 11 after he was diagnosed with appendicitis.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 2⅝ in	280 lb	4.89 s	1.70 s	2.83 s	4.14 s	7.22 s	30½ in	9 ft 2 in
All values from 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.

2011

Kelce was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round (191st overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Kelce was unable to practice or sign a contract until the NFL lockout was lifted on July 25, 2011. He signed a four-year contract on July 27. Kelce battled incumbent starter Jamaal Jackson for the center job early in training camp in August. New offensive line coach Howard Mudd envisioned Kelce as in the mold of Indianapolis Colts five-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, whom Mudd coached in Indianapolis for 11 seasons. First-round pick and fellow rookie Danny Watkins compared Kelce to a hedgehog due to his spiky hair and facial hair, in addition to his quickness and stoutness. Kelce received all of the first-team reps in the week before the team's third preseason game. He started in the third preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, and allowed a sack and was penalized for holding. Despite his performance, Kelce was named the starter for the season on August 29. He became the first rookie in Eagles history to start every game (16) at center.

2012

In 2012, Kelce was named the starting center for the second consecutive year. On September 16, he was injured in the second game against the Baltimore Ravens on a running play. Kelce missed the rest of the 2012 season due to a knee injury—a partially torn MCL (Medial collateral ligament) and torn ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament) in a win over the Baltimore Ravens.

2013

Kelce had an outstanding 2013 season, starting all 16 games and grading out as Pro Football Focus' No. 1 center for the season as the Eagles advanced to the playoffs. He helped the Eagles score a team-record 442 points and 6,676 yards and led the way for the NFL's leading rusher, LeSean McCoy, who totaled 1,607 yards. After the season, he was honored with the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates and given to the Eagles player who exemplifies sportsmanship combined with individual excellence on the field.

2014

On February 27, Kelce agreed to a six-year, $37.5 million contract extension, with $13 million guaranteed, according to agent Jason Bernstein. Kelce had a terrific, and surprising 2013 performance and is now considered one of the best centers in football.

After starting the Eagles' first three games of the season, on September 23 he underwent surgery for a sports hernia and was expected to be out 6–8 weeks. Despite this injury, he still made the Pro Bowl.

Personal

His brother, Travis Kelce, also plays in the NFL, as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

External links

• Jason Kelce on Twitter
• Philadelphia Eagles bio
• Cincinnati Bearcats football bio

Sporting positions
Preceded by Mike McGlynn	Starting Center of the Philadelphia Eagles 2011–2012	Succeeded by Dallas Reynolds