There is a ton of hype surrounding Philadelphia Eagles’ young edge rusher Jalyx Hunt recently.
For example, Philly’s left tackle Jordan Mailata did not hesitate to compare Hunt to Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons.
“Oh man, he’s going to be special, man,” Mailata said. “His burst. He has tendencies like Micah [Parsons], just to be able to cut on a dime like that; How did I go from Josh Sweat to Jalyx? It’s crazy! I’m like, ‘Howie, give me a break for one year, Jesus!’ Jalyx is going to be a star.”
Meanwhile, fellow edge Nolan Smith said, “He’s going to be the best thing since sliced bread.”
That is a lofty comparison and one heck of a compliment from two Eagles starters. While Hunt has shown some flashes, it’s no secret that he still has a ton of work to do.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brought his teammates’ high praise comments back down to earth while speaking to the media during training camp
“Yeah, both of them overdid it,” Fangio. “Jalyx to me, the last third of the season into the playoffs played a lot for us and played good. We have high expectations for them. Anything beyond that right now to say would be reckless.”
Hunt appeared in all 16 regular-season games last season, recording 21 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass deflection, and two forced fumbles. He added another sack during the Eagles’ playoffs en route to their Super Bowl LIX appearance.
But with his teammates hyping him up, Hunt remains humble. He is also putting in the work to improve and spent the offseason learning from some of the best outside Philly: Von Miller, Cam Jordan, and Maxx Crosby.
“I don’t take this for granted,” Hunt said. “This is something I haven’t been able to experience a whole bunch in my life. So, being surrounded by people who are of this caliber and also great people, it’s a very humbling experience. “It’s something that I want to get used to. Because, when you get used to something, it’s like, ‘Wow, I really belong here. I’m really here.’ And I definitely feel like I belong here.”
