Eagles' Young Edge Rusher Flashes Enticing Upside

PHILADELPHIA - From redshirt to real difference maker, Eagles’ third-round edge rusher Jalyx Hunt capped his rookie season with a bang in Super Bowl LIX with a sack and four hurries during Philadelphia’s 40-22 win over Kansas City.

Hunt, like the rest of the defensive front, wreaked havoc on Chiefs’ start quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the rookie’s production came in just 23 snaps.

Pegged as a raw developmental prospect when the Eagles took Hunt at No. 94 overall out of Houston Christian, that’s exactly how the season began for the former Cornell safety. Hunt was inactive for the season-opening win over Green Bay in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and played a total of 17 defensive snaps over the next seven games.

Multiple injuries at the position to Bryce Huff (wrist) and Brandon Graham (torn triceps) created a domino effect with second-year player Nolan Smith elevated to a starter and performing like a star, and Hunt entering the rotation in a significant way.

Hunt’s trial by fire started in Week 10 at Dallas when he played 25 defensive snaps. An ankle injury stunted things by a week but by Week 12 at the Los Angeles Rams, Hunt took his role as the third edge rusher and never ceded it.

Over the next 11 games through the Super Bowl, Hunt’s high-water mark was 42 snaps against Washington in the NFC Championship Game. He never dipped below 17 against Pittsburgh on Dec. 15 and in the Divisional Round playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams.

The 6-foot-2, 252-pound fledgling rusher finished with 1 ½ sacks and 12 hurries in the regular season and added 2 sacks and 11 hurries in four postseason games.

With pending free agent Josh Sweat set to hit free agency and likely to garner a big-money contract and Graham seemingly headed toward retirement after 15 brilliant seasons, the only locked-in options for Philadelphia in 2025 are Smith, Huff, and Hunt.

Hunt seems primed for the Year 2 spike after showing tremendous natural gifts after being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

"Tremendously,” Hunt told Philadelphia Eagles On SI when asked about how his game grew from his early playing time to his Super Bowl splash.  “I think it's so apparent just because I went from nobody really knowing what I was doing, me not knowing my impact, and what I can really do to looking the part of an NFL rusher.”

The level of competition at Houston Christian to the NFL is pretty steep and even Hunt needed convincing that he could play at this level.

“I think there is such a big difference and change because I didn't come out of college like that so for other people it may be a lot different because they look like [NFL] rushers coming out of the draft,” Hunt admitted.

Early on Hunt’s impact came from the energy he plays with and now he’s harnessed that energy with improved technique thanks to the help of position coach Jeremiah Washburn.

“My impact on the game came a lot from my energy early this season and then my technique toward the end of the season,” Hunt assessed.

And the Super Bowl showed that Hunt is going to be a problem in his sophomore season.

“We won the Super Bowl and that's something you can't take away from us and it's something I won't take for granted at all but for me, there's things I want to improve upon,” said Hunt. “... There's so much more I can do. I can get so much better as a player that's what I want to accomplish. Things are short-lived, wins and losses for me [are short-lined]. I'm just looking for the next opportunity."