NFL Analysis
4/26/24
4 min read
Jalyx Hunt NFL Draft 2024: Combine Results, Scouting Report For Philadelphia Eagles Edge
The 2024 NFL Draft is here, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Jalyx Hunt.
Jalyx Hunt's 2024 NFL COMBINE RESULTS
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 252
- 40-Time: 4.64
- 10-Yard Split: 1.60
- Vertical: 37.5"
- Broad Jump: 10'8"
Jalyx Hunt 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS:
- Long-levered frame with outstanding overall length. Impressive athlete with elite physical foundation.
- Extensive experience playing on and off the ball in stacked-overhang-slot alignments.
- Made plays in the run game from the back side with accelerating burst and stride length. Covered ground easily.
- Locked out with arm extension vs. OTs as an edge-setting defender in the run game. Played off contact effectively.
- Willing to take on pullers in the run game, generating confined strength and power with good leverage and balance.
- Showed confined-space lateral quickness off the ball, beating OTs to make plays in the backfield.
- Burst and speed from Wide 9 alignments to challenge the high side of OT. Explosive off ball when he had a run way.
- Showed re-direct and change of direction as an edge pass rusher. Some twitch and suddenness to his movement
- Pass-rush snaps he played off OL contact, displacing with short-stroke strength and hand usage to sack QB.
- Flashed explosive closing burst to QB as edge rusher. You could see the gear change when he cleared the arc.
WEAKNESSES:
- A little high cut and tight-hipped, which can result in less than desired flexibility to bend and change direction.
- Must learn how to bend the arc and flatten his rush path. He’s athletically capable of doing it.
- Needs to get stronger throughout his frame and develop speed-to-power conversion as part of his rush arsenal.
- Overall, he needs more tools in his pass-rush toolbox. Little experience as an edge rusher with much to cultivate.
NFL TRANSITION:
Hunt is one of the most fascinating prospects in this class because of his football background and the fact that he played at a lower level of football for the last two seasons in the Southland Conference. If you focus solely on the athletic and physical traits (which were strongly buttressed by his combine performance), then you are looking at a higher-level player whose game fits the NFL.
Hunt is a long, athletic edge defender with emerging pass rush traits that are still in their infancy, given his lack of experience, resulting in a small toolbox. However, his length, natural athleticism and explosiveness are higher levels. There is no question Hunt needs much work rushing the QB.
His two primary areas of focus should be speed-to-power conversion and the motorcycle lean to bend the arc and flatten his rush path to the QB, something he is athletically capable of.
The bottom line with Hunt is he is an elite athlete with outstanding size and length. He possesses every trait you look for in an edge pass rusher. Keep in mind, he has extensive experience playing off the ball and outside the box. While it will take some time for him to develop with more tools in his toolbox, he has all you want in a higher-level edge rusher.
Hunt’s athletic traits profile might be as strong as any edge defender in this draft class, but he is a classic projection due to his level of competition and the things you don’t see enough of on film.
OTHER NOTES:
Hunt played two years at Cornell (Ivy League canceled football in 2020) before transferring to Houston Christian for his final two seasons. He came out of South Florida, where he played corner and wide receiver in high school but was not recruited. He walked on at Cornell, where he played safety before Houston Christian moved him to an OLB role. In 2023, Hunt was the Southland Defensive Player of the Year.
Hunt aligned in multiple positions within the Houston Christian defense. He was predominantly an on-the-ball edge defender, but there were snaps in which he was aligned off the ball stacked, outside the box and, at times, over the slot.
There were significant snaps in which Hunt dropped into underneath zone coverage, and there were snaps in which he matched up man-to-man to slot receivers that were aligned tight to the formation.
