Eagles are getting a diamond in the rough with Houston Christian edge rusher Jalyx Hunt

Of the moves the Eagles made this offseason, the one that stood out most was trading edge rusher Haason Reddick, not long after signing Bryce Huff to a sizable free-agent contract. Josh Sweat won’t be under contract after this season and Nolan Smith will likely have a bigger role this season after being taken in the first round last year.

What does Huff, Smith, and now new Eagles draft selection Jalyx Hunt all have in common? Undersized, but elite speed rushers who are relentless, twitchy players who use their athleticism to win. It’s clear, entering the first-year under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, that the Eagles want to get faster and build a strong rotation along their defensive line.

Projecting as a standup linebacker for the Eagles, Houston Christian’s Hunt, who becomes the first draft selection for his college, is a former walk-on safety for Cornell, and still relatively new to the position. Here’s what he brings to the Eagles as their third-round selection.

When you’re projecting an edge rusher, pay less attention to the stats and keep a close on how often they win and the ways that they win. Hunt fits into that latter category, finishing 2023 with 46 tackles (nine for loss) and 6½ sacks, but had an eye-popping 18.9% pass rush win rate, per Pro Football Focus.

When the ball is snapped, Hunt gets hip to hip with the offensive tackle in a hurry. Because he can threaten the edge with his explosiveness and bendy limbs to turn the corner, it opens up his ability to use speed-to-power conversions. In pulling off that move, his 34 3/8-inch arms will allow him to create separation between him and offensive linemen, where he can allow his athleticism to get around the corner, along with winning on an inside track.

What gives you hope that he can be a true do-it-all pass rusher, including dropping into coverage, is his experience playing safety before the position switch. He looks natural in navigating the open field. He had a 16-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2023, along with five passes defended. Fangio’s defensive system is known for dropping edge rushers into coverage to confuse quarterbacks pre- and post-snap.

He is still very much a ball of clay, in terms of his development. His leverage defending the run is inconsistent, and right now, he’s using his athleticism to win. His hands are underdeveloped in being able to stack and shed blockers to make plays in the running game.

Hunt did flash at the Senior Bowl, though, and moves well at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds. The traits are good enough to take a shot on him at 94th overall in the draft.

All in all, Hunt is a developmental pass rusher, who would be a nice third-down situational player for the Eagles. His inconsistency as a run defender won’t have him on the field much on early downs, but Hunt has the foundational traits to be a high-upside player whose best football will come two to three years down the line. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah says that Hunt is Fangio’s favorite player in the draft and when popping on his film, it’s easy to see why.