HOUSTON – Jalyx Hunt had Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman in his sights, accelerating into the backfield and redirecting his charge after initially not bringing him down.
This Senior Bowl sequence flashed a lot of traits for the Houston Christian University All-American hybrid edge rusher. His speed and moves off the snap of the football were explosive. And the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the year showed the determination to redouble his efforts when his pad level was too high on his initial charge and an ability to finish the play.
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It was another box checked for Hunt, a Cornell University transfer who delivered had eye-popping testing numbers at the NFL scouting combine where he was the first player in school history to earn an invitation and drew a large crowd of NFL personnel executives and defensive line coaches to his Pro Day last week at Rice University.
Hunt is now poised to become the first player in school history to be drafted in the NFL. Although it’s difficult to accurately project players from smaller colleges, Hunt has earned a lot of third-round grades from scouting directors, per league sources.
“I am one of the big boys,” Hunt said when asked about the Senior Bowl experience competing against offensive linemen from big-time college football programs. “I guess it did validate some things, not only for me, but for some other people that I can play at the next level and I can play with the guys at the next level. I’ve always felt I had the ability to do so. I just knew what i needed to show and showcase.”
Hunt recorded 46 tackles, nine for losses, 6 1/2 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception returned for a touchdown and a blocked kick. He averaged more than a sack a game in conference games and was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. He was invited to both the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
In two seasons after transferring from the Ivy League where he played safety, Hunt had 13 1/2 sacks and five forced fumbles. He had three sacks in one game against Lamar. Hunt is set to join two former HCU players in the NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Caleb Johnson, who went undrafted, and New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, who was drafted out of Western Kentucky after four seasons at HCU, which was previously known as Houston Baptist.
At 6-foot-4, 252 pounds with 34 3/8 arms, Hunt has outstanding mobility and flexibility. At the combine, he ran the 40-yad dash in 4.64 seconds. He had the top broad jump at his position with a 10-8 mark and had a 37 1/2 inch vertical leap with 19 reps in the bench press.
“Another box checked,” Hunt said. “It was a crazy experience. It was surreal. I feel like I helped myself. I checked all the boxes. The resources the other schools have, I didn’t have that, but my training for the combine put me on another level and put us on a level playing field. I’m up there with the best of them.”
Hunt still has the ability to get bigger and stronger while maintaining his impressive speed. Hunt has a great motor and relentlessly chases after quarterbacks and running backs. H
“I think it worked in my favor,” Hunt said after his Pro Day. “The times weren’t what I wanted them to be, but I think i definitely showed within my movements, my speed in the drills, my versatility doing both linebacker and defensive line drills, that I can be very versatile and I can play at the next level at a high speed.”
As a former safety, Hunt has pass coverage skills. He’s comfortable dropping to the curl and flats or covering a runner out of the backfield.
“I don’t feel out of place,” said Hunt, who grew up in DeBary, Fla. “I played receiver. I played corner. I played safety. All those things played into me becoming the player I am today. The speed off the ball, I learned how to use that along with my power to get a quick little punch at the line of scrimmage. I think it all works in tandem.”
During his Pro Day, Hunt met individually with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. He had a dinner meeting with the Giants and a breakfast meeting with the Saints at Dish Society. He has several upcoming visits.
“We had a nice little breakfast at Dish Society, I had never been there before,” Hunt said. “I had to keep it light, fruit and vegetables. I would go back for sure, give them a shoutout.”
Now, Hunt waits to see where he’s going to be drafted.
“Shoutout to my agent, all of my teammates, shoutout to HCU, go Huskies,” said Hunt, who’s represented by California-based veteran agent Michael Hoffman. “This is really cool. Next step, NFL. Any team that wants me, come get me.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.