‘Nasty streak in him’: Eagles draft pick Cam Jurgens is a mauler whose athleticism is the difference maker

When Cam Jurgens arrived on Nebraska’s campus in 2018, he was a highly recruited tight end who had zero intentions of snapping the football.

But midway through Jurgens’ first season, Huskers coach Scott Frost envisioned a major change. It took some time, but the transition from tight end to center was a move Jurgens wholeheartedly embraced.

“We knew what kind of athlete he was, but it took me about four months to convince him he was going to be an All-Pro center at some point,” Frost told The Inquirer during a recent phone interview. “When we got him moved there, it just clicked. I have no doubt about how good of a player he’s going to be.”

The Eagles selected Jurgens with the No. 51 pick in this year’s NFL draft. At 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, Jurgens is undersized for a center prospect. However, he possesses a similar build to 12-year veteran and four-time All-Pro center Jason Kelce (6-foot-3, 295 pounds).

Jurgens is extremely athletic; he ran a 4.92-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, which ranked in the 97th percentile among centers, with a 1.71-second split in the 94th percentile. As a run blocker, Jurgens has pulling ability — again, similar to Kelce’s skill set — with enough burst to get to the second level.

Jurgens’ ascension at the position is more impressive considering how raw he was as an offensive lineman.

“Really, when we moved him there — he didn’t know what he was doing at first,” Frost said. “But you could still see it. That’s how good of an athlete he is. It was never doubting what type of player he was. We just wanted to get him onto the field and get him comfortable with the position so the athlete inside him could take over.

“When we watched him in high school, he threw 60-something feet in the shot put. He can run; he can move. He’s just so explosive. Our whole staff felt like he was going to be another Kelce or Maurkice Pouncey. It does not surprise me one bit he’s done so well.”

» READ MORE: Eagles draft Nebraska center Cam Jurgens 51st overall in the second round

Although general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni indicated that Jurgens could be tested out at right guard, he projects as the team’s long-term replacement for Kelce. After all, Kelce played a key role in scouting and providing his own assessment of Jurgens during the pre-draft process.

“I’m pretty excited about the kid,” Kelce said. “I liked him a lot. I like his tools. I like his mentality. I think I’ve looked at a few guys the past couple years when they’ve asked my opinions. He’s here obviously because [offensive line coach] Jeff Stoutland and Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, all these people, watched his tape and really believe in him. I think although he does have a lot of similar traits to me, he’s going to be his own player, and I’m looking forward to helping out any of these young guys, in particular Cam.”

Second-year left guard Landon Dickerson, who was thrust into a starter role less than one month into his rookie season, offered some advice for Jurgens: “Got to be ready to learn every day and get better. You’re going to make mistakes. Can’t let it weigh down on you. Take it on the chin; keep moving forward.”

As part of the name, image, and likeness policy that was implemented by the NCAA last year, Jurgens launched his own beef jerky company, cleverly called Beef Jurgy. The rookie plans to bring a full stock of his Beef Jurgy line to share with his teammates in Philadelphia.

During the two OTA practices open to reporters last month, Kelce and Stoutland appeared vocal while coaching up Jurgens, who mainly snapped to backup quarterbacks Gardner Minshew, Reid Sinnett, and Carson Strong.

Asked of his initial impressions of his new position coach, who’s widely viewed as one of the top assistants in the league, Jurgens said of Stoutland: “He has a lot of energy. I don’t want a coach to sugarcoat things. I want to know how it is. I want to know if I’m doing something right, something wrong. That’s how I want to be coached. We’ve went over a lot of the offense. He taught me it, quizzed me [on] it, and went over to see how I did things at Nebraska and how we do it here.”

With Kelce in place as the unit’s anchor for another season, Jurgens will have an opportunity to learn from one of the best. Frost labeled Jurgens’ arrival to Philadelphia as a perfect match.

“Any time you have a superior athlete who’s big, strong, can run, can do anything on the field, center is probably going to be his position long-term,” Frost said. “But he could play somewhere else because he’s such an athlete. He’s also got the right mentality. He’s got a nasty streak in him. He’s got that meanness in him. That’s what you want in an offensive lineman. I’m sure he won’t take a backseat to anybody. He’s the type of guy you want on your team.

“You can’t be a nice guy and be up front. It’s a fight every down. He was up to that challenge every play. His aggressiveness is going to pave the legacy he leaves behind.”