Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat writers weigh in on drafting Jalyx Hunt

Is the third round too early for a developmental player? Do the Eagles have that luxury, especially at the edge rusher position? Howie Roseman has drafted for the future in the first three rounds in recent years with Cam Jurgens, Nakobe Dean, and Nolan Smith, in particular. But all three players were established prospects at Power Five programs. And the jury is still out on the latter two. Jalyx Hunt, on the other hand, played at Houston Christian — an FCS-level team. The Eagles felt they saw enough film of him against a few FBS opponents and at the Senior Bowl to make an informed evaluation. They deserve the benefit of doubt, as does Hunt, who went from Ivy League safety to Southland Conference edge rusher during his college career.

But this story sounds familiar. Davion Taylor, who was selected in the third round in 2020, is the easy comparison if you want to be critical of the Hunt pick. Milton Williams, who was chosen a year later in the third round and has been productive, is another comp if you want to point out a relative success story. But there’s a greater projection with Hunt than with either example. He has the bend, motor, speed, and length to play at the NFL level. But it’s tough enough for edge rushers like Smith from elite programs to make the jump against professional tackles. There’s a learning curve and Hunt just didn’t have a lot of snaps vs. top competition.

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The Eagles feel comfortable with the gamble. They saw him employ a ghost move as a pass rusher that he said he learned from watching Pro Bowler Brian Burns. They saw him make hustle plays from the backside. And they saw him drop into coverage, something that he’ll have to do as an outside linebacker in Vic Fangio’s scheme. Hunt may end up a steal. But the opinion here is that the Eagles didn’t have a luxury pick at the edge rusher spot when they just traded Haason Reddick, have Josh Sweat under contract for only one more year, Brandon Graham in his last season, and with Smith’s potential still unknown.

With their third-round, No. 94 overall pick, the Eagles opted to select a small-school, developmental edge rusher in Hunt with the hope that he can translate his athleticism into an impactful NFL career. Whether he’s able to do so hinges both on the player and his environment (i.e. his coaches, teammates, the culture within the organization, etc.).

When Roseman discussed the Hunt pick following Day 2, he lauded the “freaky tools in [Hunt’s] body” that can serve as the foundation for his development at the next level. While the “tools” line seemed to be a common refrain throughout the weekend for Roseman about just about all of the picks, Hunt’s measurables are noteworthy. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Hunt ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash at the combine (82nd percentile among edge rushers, according to MockDraftable) and had a 10-foot, 8-inch broad jump (95th percentile, and a 37.5-inch vertical jump (88th percentile).

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In addition to Hunt’s raw athleticism, speed, work ethic, and character, the Eagles evidently like his upside. He has only been an edge rusher for the last two seasons at Houston Christian, collecting 13½ sacks, five forced fumbles, five pass breakups, and an interception in 21 games. He was previously a safety at Cornell for two seasons. With NFL coaching and time spent developing behind the likes of Bryce Huff, Sweat, Graham, and Smith, Hunt is ideally a diamond in the rough for the Eagles.

But Hunt is a long ways away from that ideal becoming a potential reality. Roseman has taken chances on third-round projects in the past that ultimately flamed out. We’ll see if Hunt can become a long-term contributor to the defense by developing into a more refined pass rusher.