Ravens Trade Hayden Hurst To The Falcons For A 2nd Round Pick
Wow, things moving fast here as the official start date of free agency approaches. Hayden Hurst was a guy who played well and was really coming along for the Ravens. After struggling with a foot injury in his first year, he emerged as part of the Ravens’ 3-headed monster at tight end last season. He caught 30 balls for 349 yards and 2 TD’s, including a handful of key 3rd downs late in close games. Unfortunately for him however, Mark Andrews had surpassed him as the premier pass-catching tight end in the Ravens offense and Nick Boyle is possibly the best blocking TE in the game. He had become expendable in an offense that only throws the ball so often, and his status as a former first rounder with untapped potential meant that he still held a lot of value on the trade market.
Having 3 great tight ends is a luxury, so Eric DeCosta bided his time until the right moment and got a pretty good haul in return. So good in fact, that the return is pretty comparable to what the Texans just got for DeAndre Hopkins, without the burden of having to take on the contract of an oft-injured, overpaid running back. There are few teams as dangerous with draft capital as the Ravens, so the 47th overall pick should go a long way for EDC. This is an extremely talented roster that does need to bolster depth at a few positions, along with addressing the guard position. The Ravens now have 9 picks in the following rounds: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, and 7. That’s a lot of opportunity in the top 4 rounds to maneuver on draft day and make sure we get the guys we want to get. You’d have a tough time finding a team in the league right now better positioned for short and long term success than the Baltimore Ravens.
Hurst will have a nice career moving forward. He’s a great fit for them at a position of sudden need with Austin Hooper skipping town. I’m sure he’ll create some great moments in Atlanta that will have folks in Baltimore shaking their heads at what could have been, but the fact of the matter is that he was the odd man out. This wasn’t the best place for him to thrive and now he has the opportunity to do so. Win-win-win as they say. I wish him the best.
In Eric We Trust.