How Jalyx Hunt is continuing to develop from expanded role

How Jalyx Hunt is continuing to develop from expanded role originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

It took just a few weeks of facing Jalyx Hunt on scout team earlier this season for All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson to come to a realization.

“I’m like, ‘this guy needs to be playing,’” Johnson said.

And now he is.

When the Eagles drafted Hunt in the third round this April, he was billed as an athletic but raw prospect. A guy who might contribute sparingly but would need a lot of time to develop before playing a major role. After all, he was drafted out of Houston Christian just a few years after playing safety at Cornell.

But there’s no more waiting.

While the 23-year-old needs to continue his development, he has settled into a role as a major contributor for the top defense in the NFL.

After injuries to Bryce Huff and Brandon Graham, Hunt has become a key part of the Eagles’ edge rusher rotation. In Sunday’s win over the Ravens, he played a career-high 35 snaps as a part of a three-man rotation with Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith.

“I’m always excited to play football,” Hunt said with a smile when asked about his expanded role. “I’m always excited to play football. It was just another opportunity.”

Entering Week 10, Hunt had played a total of 17 defensive snaps. But in the four weeks since, he has played 84 and that’s while battling through an ankle injury.

It took a lot of work to get Hunt to this point and that work isn’t over. During each practice, he tries to hone in on every single detail but even that’s not enough. Hunt spends time before and after practices working on the smaller details of his craft — like the tops of his rushes and get-offs.

Hunt said sometimes he’ll pick the things he needs to work on and sometimes the suggestions will come from edge rusher coach Jeremiah Washburn.

“It’s a little bit of both,” Hunt said. “It’s open communication throughout the week. He’s like, ‘Hey, what did you see this past…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jalyx-hunt-continuing-develop-expanded-120000105.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-12-05 12:00:00

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