Latest buzz all but confirms Jalyx Hunt is poised for a monster second season

There has been one common theme of this offseason: the media is very high on Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Jalyx Hunt.

The Eagles selected Hunt in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While he wasn't an instant contributor, he made some nice plays and showed more promise in the postseason to get the hype train rolling through the offseason.

Philadelphia seems to be so high on Hunt that they sent Bryce Huff packing to San Francisco to give him a real shot at starting. With Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Brandon Graham, and Huff all gone, Hunt appears to have control of his own destiny. And the media feels his destiny is greatness in 2025.

PFF joins in on the hype of Hunt having a breakout second year

PFF writer Ryan Smith shares a list of 10 players he believes will have strong seasons in their second year in the NFL. Hunt was on the list as he looks to step up into a starting role.

"Philadelphia's defensive line will look a lot different this year after the team parted ways with Josh Sweat (free agent), Milton Williams (free agent), Brandon Graham (retirement) and Bryce Huff (trade). The Eagles are still stout along the trenches, thanks to their ability to draft and develop players better than any other franchise.

Hunt, a former no-star recruit and safety at Cornell, made the switch to edge rusher at Houston Christian in 2022 and dominated the competition. He was a difference-maker for the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning roster last year, finishing with a 69.0 PFF overall grade as a rookie across his 343 defensive snaps.

Coming into Year 2, the expectation is that Hunt will see significantly more playing time on the league’s best defense as the Eagles look to make it back to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years."

Hunt finished the 2024 season with 21 tackles, three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, one pass deflection, and one tackle for loss in 16 games. With Huff not playing in the postseason, Hunt made the most of his time on the field with 10 tackles, three quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks, including a half sack in the Super Bowl.

It's not a guarantee that Hunt will be the starter off the edge, as he will have to fend off Azeez Ojulari, Josh Uche, Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr., and Patrick Johnson. Nolan Smith Jr. is the only one who is a sure-fire starter, but it is safe to assume that Hunt's experience in Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme gives him the edge.

Hunt has said all the right things so far as last week he mentioned that he is focused on the technical aspects of the edge position. He wants to match what the great players are doing so he can get to that level.

Going off of pure raw talent, Hunt has all the attributes to break out like Smith did last year in his second season. The Eagles will be leaning on him to do so, and Hunt seems prepared for the challenge.