The Eagles lost some serious star power on the edge this offseason — but don’t sleep on Jalyx Hunt. The second-year pass rusher is turning heads in camp, and Jordan Mailata just compared him to Micah Parsons. Is Philly’s next defensive star already in the building?
Fresh off a whirlwind Super Bowl championship, the Philadelphia Eagles had to turn their attention to the 2025 league year in short order.
For a team that harassed Patrick Mahomes and dominated the Chiefs’ offensive front in SBLIX, the state of Philly’s pass rush was easy for fans and analysts alike to question entering the offseason.
All-time franchise great Brandon Graham announced his retirement in March, and the writing was on the wall in permanent ink when it came to Bryce Huff and his untenable situation. As a result, Philly’s pass rush will look a lot different in 2025, especially on the outside. With all due respect to free agent signings Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche, and sixth-round rookie Antwaun Powell-Ryland, the Eagles have a lot to prove in that department as training camp officially kicks off this week.
The good news? The Eagles have two young aces in the hole.
Nolan Smith Jr.’s breakout season got some national attention during last year’s run, especially over the second half of the season. The key contributor who flew more under the radar was Jalyx Hunt, a third-round rookie who filled a prominent role in Philly’s EDGE rotation from Week 10 on.
Hunt is now entering Year 2, fully entrenched as the Eagles’ starter opposite Smith. He has the task of lining up opposite left tackle Jordan Mailata in 11-on-11 drills during practice, and Mailata sees an ascending star in the 24-year-old.
Mailata went as far as comparing Mailata to one of the NFL’s premiere pass rushers — Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Jalyx? Oh, man. He’s going to be special,” Mailata said with a wide smile during a sit-down with the media on Wednesday. “Just his burst. He has tendencies like Micah, just to be able to cut on a dime like that. I’m so proud of that guy, the way he works.
“How did I go from Josh Sweat to Jalyx, man?” Mailata added of his practice assignments. “It’s crazy. It’s like Howie, give me a break for one year. … Jalyx is going to be a star, man. And I’m glad that I get to go up against him, because I know that if he’s giving me hell, he’s going to give everyone else hell.”
That’s obviously extremely high praise from a player Pro Football Focus graded No. 1 among all offensive tackles in football last season. Hunt appears poised to continue his upward trajectory from his rookie year, and the Eagles are clearly banking on that based on how they addressed the EDGE position this offseason.
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