The Philadelphia Eagles made it pretty clear that this offseason was going to be about developing young players and turning them into studs. They left a lackluster free agent market to the other teams and bought in on the guys that they drafted. It’s a good move if it works.
That’s going to be really important with the edge rushers. Instead of re-signing Josh Sweat or going after one of the higher-end edges like Khalil Mack or Haason Reddick (again, it wasn’t a good free agent class), Howie Roseman put his confidence in Jalyx Hunt… and it’s sounding like that’s the right move.
When Brandon Graham retired, the Eagles obviously lost an incredibly consistent player and one of the vocal and outspoken leaders on the team. One thing that kind of flew under the radar is how he’s been lining up across from Lane Johnson in practice every day for more than a decade.
On Wednesday, Lane Johnson said, “BG served a pivotal role in developing me, you know, my sparring partner for my entire career. So you know I will miss him a lot.” That’s big. There are a lot of reasons BG and Lane Johnson were/are awesome, and having to rush and block against each other for 12 years is definitely part of it.
The better the edge and tackle are, the more efficient and effective the development is for both of them. That’s why it’s important when someone like Jordan Mailata is impressed with a second-year player like Jalyx Hunt.
Jordan Mailata calls Jalyx Hunt a star
"Jalyx? Oh man, he’s going to be special. He’s going to be special, man," said Mailata after Wednesday’s practice. "Just his burst. He has tendencies like Micah [Parsons]. Just to be able to cut on a dime like that, man. I’m so proud of that guy. The way he works. How do I go from Josh Sweat to Jalyx? I was just like, man, Howie. Give me a break for one year, Jesus. Jalyx is gonna be a star man. And I’m glad that I get to go up against him because he’s given me hell, he’s going to give everyone else hell, too.”
Mailata's full comments are at 25:24 in the video below. You should watch it because it’s clear that Mailata’s been excited about this, and he’s happy to talk about it.
That’s big praise coming from a big man. It’s easy for anyone to say ‘Jalyx Hunt does things like Micah Parsons,’ but it means absolutely nothing. Jordan Mailata, on the other hand, has lined up against Parsons 141 times (per NFLPro), so it’s safe to assume that he knows what he’s saying when he makes that comparison.
Seeing Mailata be giddy about a player who was a safety in the Ivy League four years ago is awesome to see. He knows that Hunt has something, and he knows that it’s going to make him better.
That’s not all, though. In a scrum after Thursday’s practice, Nolan Smith was asked about Hunt.
Nolan Smith has high expectations for Jalyx Hunt
"Woooooooo. That boy gonna be the best thing since sliced bread. For real. That boy good," Smith said. "Just his work ethic, his attitude, his god-gifted ability, his talent, he hungry, and he works, and he notices his mistakes. Like, that’s what makes good players. You never have a good day. You notice your mistakes, you fix your mistakes. You correct them quick.”
Again, that quote is great, but you have to watch the video to see how excited he is about Hunt (42:23 in the video below).
If someone mentions your name to Nolan Smith and his first reaction is to just say, “WOOOOO” then you’re doing something right. Making people get stoked just thinking about you is just about the best compliment you can get.
Of course, the other side of that coin is logic and reason, a.k.a. Vic Fangio. He was asked about Hunt getting praise from veterans.
"Jalyx, the last third of the season into the playoffs played a lot for us, and he played good, and we have high expectations for him. Anything beyond that would be uh… reckless?" Fangio said.
Fair. You want your coach to complement you, but not overdo it. That’s especially true with a guy as straightforward as Vic Fangio. On top of that, they haven’t put pads on yet, so things can still change (hopefully for the better).
Regardless, it’s a really good thing when the guy who rushes with you and the All-Pro left tackle who has to block you every single day don’t just give you compliments, but are actually excited and smiling when they talk about how good you’re doing… even if Fangio’s not a fan of it.