On April 26, 2024, surrounded by family, friends, teammates and coaches, Jalyx Hunt got a call that he had dreamed of since he was a kid. That call came from Philadelphia Eagles Executive Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman, informing Hunt that he was about to be drafted by the team in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Less than 10 months later, the former Husky standout was hoisting the Lombardi Trophy following the Eagles鈥� dominating Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hunt鈥檚 rise to becoming a third-round NFL draft pick was precipitous, to say the least. He arrived on the HCU campus ahead of the 2022 season after playing two seasons across three years as a safety at Cornell. During his time with the Big Red, he appeared in 17 games, with one start, and totaled 29 tackles. Hunt was recruited to HCU with the idea of switching to an edge rusher position, a far cry from the defensive back position he played for three years at Cornell and even further from wide receiver, which he played in high school.
Hunt bought in fully to the switch and began the process of adding weight and muscle to handle the rigors of playing along the line of scrimmage and going toe-to-toe with larger offensive linemen. In his first season with the Huskies, his junior year, he flourished instantly. Hunt opened the season with nine tackles, including a sack, and returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown that put the game out of reach as the Huskies won at Northern Colorado, 46-34.
Over the course of his junior season, he totaled 87 tackles and had 11.5 tackles for loss to tie for the most by any player in the Southland Conference. His seven sacks tied for second-most in the league and he also forced three fumbles en route to second team all-conference honors. As the calendar flipped to 2023, Hunt鈥檚 name started to pop up as a potential sleeper prospect for the draft.
As the fall of 2023 rolled around, buzz continued to grow and as the season progressed scouts from all 32 NFL teams made their way to Husky Stadium to observe practices and get an up-close look at the Huskies鈥� pro prospect. Hunt made his name well-known throughout the Southland Conference and the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) that season, earning three separate all-America honors, the SLC Defensive Player of the Year award and invites to both the Reese鈥檚 Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl.
After choosing to partake in the Reese鈥檚 Senior Bowl, Hunt traveled to Mobile, Ala. where he impressed in workouts for scouts and again had a strong showing in the game. Hunt then received an opportunity to travel to Indianapolis, Ind. for the invitation-only NFL Combine. He again gave an impressive performance that led to a number of meetings and visits with NFL franchises who were giving thought to drafting the HCU standout.
As the draft neared, Hunt said 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dream that turned into a goal. As a program, this is amazing. It鈥檚 an incredible opportunity for HCU. I鈥檓 so glad I鈥檓 able to bring some eyes to the school. We have great athletes here in every sport.鈥�
Prior to the start of the draft, he was being projected by a number of prognosticators to be picked somewhere between the third and fifth rounds. When the Eagles decided to draft Hunt in the third round with the 94th pick in the draft they made him the first non-Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) player selected in 2024.
Considered by many to be a draft pick who needed time to develop before having an impact for the Eagles, Hunt acclimated well to life in the NFL. His role increased as his rookie season progressed, earning his first professional sack in a week-seven win over the New York Giants. Appearing in 16 games during the regular season, he finished with 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass defended.
With a 14-3 record in the regular season, Philadelphia earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC for the playoffs. Hunt registered a pair of tackles in a wild card round win over Green Bay and then came up with a sack in the team鈥檚 28-22 divisional round win against the Los Angeles Rams. With one more win standing between Hunt and a Super Bowl appearance in his rookie season, the former Husky enjoyed a five-tackle game as the Eagles defeated Washington handily, 55-23, to punch their ticket to New Orleans, La. for the Big Game on Feb. 9.
Having reached the sport鈥檚 biggest stage in his rookie season, Hunt played a prominent role in an Eagles鈥� defensive unit that made two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes look pedestrian. The former Husky finished the night with half a sack, a quarterback hurry and a pair of tackles as he caused the Chiefs鈥� offensive line problems throughout the game. Hunt played 41 percent of the team鈥檚 defensive snaps and was on the field for 45 percent of the special teams plays, totaling 36 snaps played.