Short king Willie Lampkin, an ‘unathletic Jason Kelce,’ ready to prove the doubters wrong with the Eagles

Willie Lampkin wasn’t aware of his rising star in the NFL scouting and social media communities as of Thursday afternoon.

“What do they say?” asked Lampkin, the interior offensive lineman the Eagles claimed off waivers Wednesday from the Los Angeles Rams.

They rave about Lampkin’s game despite his size. His tape from the Rams’ preseason opener, of him pancaking four Cowboys defenders, became a bit of a viral sensation. It just hadn’t yet reached the 23-year-old former champion wrestler who started his college career at Coastal Carolina, finished it at North Carolina, and then went undrafted this year.

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“That’s pretty awesome,” the 5-11, 290-pound Lampkin said. “That’s awesome. Shout out to my short kings out there.”

Lampkin would be historically short if he plays for the Eagles. The team hasn’t had an offensive lineman shorter than 6-feet in the last 50 years, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Lampkin’s height is a topic he’s “kind of” tired of talking about. “I can’t change it,” he said.

He views it as an advantage. It helps him get leverage, he said, and helps him stay lower than the person in front of him. The Eagles’ tallest interior defensive lineman, for example, is the 6-6 Gabe Hall, who is seven inches taller than Lampkin. He uses his wrestling background, too. Lampkin went 47-0 during his senior year and won a Florida state championship while at Lakeland High School. He nearly quit football his junior year to focus on wrestling.

Wrestling gave him a “dog mentality to help me dominate every single play” and an underhook move that helps his leverage.

Lampkin was on the field Thursday as a spectator for his first practice as a member of the Eagles. As his teammates stretched, Lampkin stood on the side with a brace on his left leg. He was injured in the Rams’ second preseason game.

The Rams waived Lampkin with an injury designation, and the Eagles claimed him in an unusual move. Thirty-one other teams passed on Lampkin before he reached the Eagles, who were 32nd on the list after winning the Super Bowl. Lampkin said he’s rehabbing his left leg injury, and “I’ll be back soon.”

He said he was surprised to be on the move but happy to end up with the Eagles and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.

“He’s one of the best to ever coach the offensive line in the NFL,” Lampkin said. “He has coached legends. He’s still coaching legends right now.”

On the list of legends Lampkin rattled off was Jason Kelce, who also once was considered an undersized center at 6-3 and 295 pounds, four inches taller than Lampkin’s listed height.

“I look up to him,” Lampkin said. “I used to watch his film all the time. People always say, ‘You’re like a more unathletic Jason Kelce.’ It’s kind of funny. I can’t wait to meet him.”

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Lampkin was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press last season at North Carolina. He showed his versatility in blocking for star running back Omarion Hampton, a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers. He also won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC’s best blocker.

The Florida native, who said he met with the Eagles in the predraft process “once or twice,” went to the Senior Bowl and thought he showed NFL teams that he could anchor down on the bull rush and play against bigger opponents.

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote a glowing report on Lampkin before the draft.

“When it comes to the three phases of a run block (positioning/sustain/finish), Lampkin has the best tape I’ve studied of any prospect in the 2025 draft,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s tremendously quick and athletic to beat defenders to the spot laterally or to climb and connect in space. He plays with excellent hand placement, leverage, and footwork to sustain blocks. He uses that stickiness to finish blocks, too. He’s sound in pass protection but will give way to size and length from time to time.”

Then came what likely held NFL teams back from drafting him: “Unfortunately, he falls far below NFL size standards, but he’s too good a football player to ignore.”

At the end of the report, though, was this: “Smart teams should consider using Lampkin as a fullback who can get into space and stick to his block while offering position flexibility as an emergency backup at center.”

Lampkin was asked Thursday about his positional versatility to play center and guard and, unprompted, mentioned a different position: “I’ll play fullback. Whatever,” he said.

The Eagles have one of those on the roster in Ben VanSumeren, but it’s unclear what they have in store for Lampkin. The team drafted Cam Jurgens’ backup at center, Drew Kendall, though they did give him some guard reps during preseason games.

It’s early in terms of Lampkin consuming the Eagles’ playbook, but he said he thinks the offense suits him and his abilities to get out in space.

In evaluating his summer, which ended with the Rams waiving him, Lampkin said he wants to get better at communicating, recognizing coverages and stunts, and becoming a better all-around player.

One thing he can’t change, though, is his size, so it likely will continue to have people underestimating him, which he said he’s been dealing with for most of his career.

“People see me, and they think I’m just some regular guy,” Lampkin said. “But if I put the pads on, things can change.”