The Hayden Hurst Trade Is A Disaster For The Falcons

God only knows what the hell the Ravens front office was thinking when they selected Hayden Hurst in the first round. It was maybe the dumbest narrative in the entire 2018 NFL Draft.

“Hey, we’re going to take this 25-year-old tight end out of South Carolina that’s really old because he played Pro Baseball.”

Okay, so did he dominate in college?

“Oh, no, he only had 3 career touchdowns in college in 3 seasons”

WHAT! Yes, that’s who the Ravens drafted with the first pick they had in 2018. You wonder why this team drives me insane. I gave the Ravens an F for that 2018 Draft. The Hayden Hurst pick deserves the F by that move alone.

It was like clockwork. Hurst came into the league and did nothing. I didn’t expect Mark Andrews to be so good but it took about 2 games for 3rd round pick Andrews to beat out first round pick Hurst for the job.

Hayden Hurst has been in the league for two years now. As a first round pick, Hurst has been given every chance to succeed. Especially in Baltimore where the entire offense really goes through the tight end. In two NFL seasons, Hurst has 43 receptions for 512 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wake me up from my nap! What are we doing here? The funniest part is that Hurst basically had the same 2019 season that Nick Boyle did. For those of you who don’t know about Boyle, the Ravens basically re-signed him to be a blocking tight end in the run heavy Ravens offense.

The Ravens traded Hurst and a 4th round pick to the Falcons for a 2nd and 5th round pick this offseason. The fact that Baltimore got a 2nd round pick for Hayden Hurst can only be described as a win. Do people watch the games? I keep hearing how great Hayden Hurst is but I see no production and no wow moments when I watch the games.

Look, maybe I’m being a tad harsh. I get it to a small extent. It’s a really bad tight end draft and Atlanta just lost Austin Hooper in free agency. PFF ranked Hurst as the 14th best tight end in football for the 2019 season. With a higher usage with no Mark Andrews, maybe there’s some value. It doesn’t excuse the fact that Hurst was a first round pick and hasn’t done a single thing to show he can play. It’s not like he was even great in college. I have never understood this one.

What are you doing, Atlanta? Why not sign Eric Ebron to a few bucks? You’re telling me Hurst cost a 2nd round pick based on what? Draft Hunter Bryant in the 4th round? One of these rookie tight ends should pop. Maybe Hurst turns into an okay player for the Falcons. A second round pick? That’s what DeAndre Hopkins got traded for. Darius Slay is a Pro Bowl corner got moved for a 3 and 5. Atlanta gave up a 2 and change for a tight end who’s done nothing in a gamble that he can match some of what Austin Hooper leaves behind. How is this not a disaster for the Falcons?