Who will be the next Jason Kelce? Five candidates to bring the house down at the Eagles parade

Jason Kelce, then the mostly anonymous centerpiece of the Eagles’ offensive line, turned himself into a Philly legend with an epic Super Bowl parade speech delivered from the Art Museum steps.

“No one wanted us,” Kelce said to cap off his 2018 speech. “No one liked this team. No analyst liked this team to win the Super Bowl and nobody likes our fans. And you know what? I just heard one of the best chants this past day and it’s one of my favorites and it’s new and I hope you learn it. Because I’m about to drop it right now. You know what I got to say to all those people who doubted us, all those people that counted us out, and everybody who said we couldn’t get it done? What my man Jay Ajayi just said: [Expletive] you!”

From “hungry dogs run faster” to “no one likes us, we don’t care,” Kelce’s speech — not to mention outfit — turned a memorable day into an unforgettable one.

With the Eagles — and the entire region — gearing up for the franchise’s second Super Bowl parade on Friday, a new group of players have the chance to take the podium. So who’s most likely to come out of nowhere, give a great speech, cement his status as a Philly legend? Here are some thoughts …

Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown, and Jordan Mailata will almost certainly take the podium and give great speeches. Both Graham and Johnson spoke at the last Super Bowl parade, and Brown and Mailata are both great speakers who’ll certainly fire up the crowd.

» READ MORE: Route and start time for Eagles’ Super Bowl parade are announced

But those guys are already local legends. With Graham potentially playing the final game of his NFL career in the Super Bowl, his speech is sure to bring the house down, but what more could he do to make the fans love him more?

We also won’t be including Jalen Hurts or Saquon Barkley, for similar reasons, but both are a bit more calm and collected and might not reach the level of intensity (and drunkenness) required for an epic speech.

The Georgia Dawgs have become the core of the Eagles’ defense, led by star defensive tackle Jalen Carter. But Carter and fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis are quieter than Smith, and linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was injured in the wild-card round. If the group steps up to the podium to speak, expect Smith, who was fired up in the postgame locker room, to take the lead, potentially giving a speech in tribute to his “brother,” Dean.

Who’d have expected before the game that defensive end Sweat would be a contender for Super Bowl MVP? But Sweat dominated in Super Bowl LIX, finishing with 2.5 sacks, and was the best player on a defensive line that looked unstoppable all night, sacking Patrick Mahomes more than he’d ever been sacked in his NFL career. Sweat’s also a funny guy, who’s talkative in the locker room and a great quote.

Sweat is a free agent this offseason, so if he wants to stay in Philadelphia, he might go all out to sell the fan base on keeping him, or give an epic farewell speech. Either way, this one’s got potential.

» READ MORE: Key offseason dates for the Eagles, from free agency to training camp to Week 1

Let’s be honest here — will they even let Gardner-Johnson anywhere near a microphone? He’s a high-energy guy and he’s already caught some heat for talking trash after the big win. No one meets the moment like Gardner-Johnson, and if he does manage to find his way up to the stage, he’s sure to give an unforgettable speech.

Like his fellow defensive back Gardner-Johnson, Slay is not afraid to talk. He’s a podcaster, and one of the most talkative guys in the Eagles’ locker room. Plus, he’s a longtime veteran who just won his first ring, making him a very likely candidate to be one of the ten or so speakers at the parade. Slay plans to play one more NFL season, but he said prior to the Super Bowl that he wasn’t sure Howie Roseman would bring him back. What better way to say goodbye to Philadelphia (if this really is goodbye) than with an epic speech?

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Dickerson’s generally a quieter guy. He doesn’t like being interviewed and prefers to stay out of the spotlight, on his lawn mower. But just listen to this pregame speech and tell me he wouldn’t give an epic speech at the parade:

Not sold? How about this one from before the Steelers game:

A perfect candidate to take on the mantle, step out of the shadows, and become a legend.