PHILADELPHIA — The hype around Jalyx Hunt is all over the place at the NovaCare Complex. The expectations are high, leading to some unrealistic comparisons for a second-year edge rusher that seldomly played in 2024.
“He’s gonna be special. He’s gonna be special,” said Eagles All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata. “Just his burst. He has tendencies like Micah [Parsons], just to be able to cut on a dime like that. … Jalyx is gonna be a star, man.”
Mailata isn’t the only teammate to speed up the hype train.
“My boy gonna be the best thing since sliced bread,” said fellow pass rusher Nolan Smith. “For real. That boy good.”
See how the expectations have gone through the roof? Perhaps it’s warranted given the strides Hunt has taken over the past 12 months, back when he was a twitchy third-round pick out of Houston Christian. This is the same Hunt that began his college career as a safety at Cornell, before undergoing a massive growth spurt and becoming a raw edge rusher.
Last season was a developmental year for Hunt — well, it was supposed to be. Sitting behind Smith, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff, Hunt’s likelihood of seeing significant playing time was slim to none. But an injury to Graham and underperformance from Huff gave the Eagles enough trust in Hunt’s development to give him an uptick in snaps.
Their faith was rewarded in the postseason, as Hunt had nine pressures, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and a 14.5% pressure rate while playing 37.9% of the snaps. Not bad for a player who logged just 42 defensive snaps prior to Week 11.
Hunt earned a taste of success through hard work. He admittedly took his game to another level this summer — by studying and working with the pass rushers his Eagles teammates are putting him in the same stratosphere as: Von Miller, Maxx Crosby, Cameron Jordan, Willie McGinest. Great pass rushers from the past and present.
“Last year was just getting into shape so I could practice as hard as I could so I could learn as much as I could,” Hunt said. “I learned so much last year that I put it into effect this summer, so I’m going to be a different pass rusher this summer so I’m talking to a bunch of pass rushers in the league, just picking their brain.
“I went to see them, I went to work out with them just to know some of the secrets of the trade, so I could use them. I try to pick from different rushing styles but also try to find my own.”
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How hard Hunt worked to become “the best thing since sliced bread” can’t be debated. The hype, however, needs to be earned on the field.
“Come on,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with a smile on the Micah parsons comparison. “Jalyx to me, the last third of the season into the playoffs played a lot for us and played good and we have high expectations for them.
“Anything beyond that right now to say would be reckless.”
Hunt certainly believes in his ability to become a difference-making pass-rusher. The willingness to learn from the best — Miller, Jordan, McGinest — is Hunt’s biggest asset.
“I have a chip on my shoulder, but I’m not cocky about it or anything,” Hunt said. “I’m a confident person, but If I don’t understand something I’m confident enough to realize that people aren’t necessarily better than me but in positions I want to be in and have done things I want to do, so I’m going to ask them about those experiences.”
Perhaps Hunt becomes the next Parsons. Until then, the hype train will continue to roll through the extreme summer heat.
“I know that if he’s giving me hell,” Mailata said, “he’s gonna be giving everyone else hell.”
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