The Baltimore Ravens have two new tight ends. Which one shines the brightest in 2018: Hayden Hurst or Mark Andrews:
The Baltimore Ravens went into the offseason looking to revamp the receiving corps. While the wide receiver group looks completely different, there were also some new faces brought in at tight end. It is well-known Joe Flacco likes to use his tight ends. Dennis Pitta led the team in receptions in 2016, and Benjamin Watson had a good year as well last year. However, the main thing the front office wanted to do was simple surround Flacco with play-makers.
Hayden Hurst was selected with the 25th overall pick after a couple of trade downs. Hurst was ranked as the best tight end in the draft by most. However, Hurst is already 25 years old, so he is hardly a prospect. By this time, he is what he is. What he is, is a solid blocking tight end with really good hands and intriguing athletic ability.
With their fourth pick of the draft, the 22nd pick in the third round, Ozzie Newsome again went tight end selecting Mark Andrews from Oklahoma. Andrews is a big target at 6’5″, 255 lbs, but he moves around like a wide out. He is very quick and agile for his size and he has solid hands as well. One thing he will not be able to do very well is block. He was mainly used in the slot at Oklahoma, so you will probably not see Baltimore utilize him in the run game.
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Both tight ends are very different in style and will be utilized in different ways. We will see Andrews in the slot when they go four or five receiving sets. Hurst will most likely see the majority of the snaps because of his blocking ability as well as his pass-catching ability.
Which one has the better year?
I think the safe answer here is Hurst. But to me, I think Andrews has the potential to make more of an impact in the passing game. Andrews quickness and route running ability is really exciting because of how big the guy is. He was catching balls from the number one overall pick, and Baker Mayfield’s ability to extend plays certainly helps receivers have more time to get rid of their defender, but Andrews was still getting open a lot.
Now, in fairness, I was not, and still am not a big fan of the Hurst pick. Upside should always go into draft picks, and Hurst does not have high upside. For the most part, football has the shortest life-span for most players compared to other major sports because of the wear and tear on the body. Football players take lots of beatings, and its rare for players to be successful going into their 30’s.
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Overall, I do think Hurst will have a fine year, but I think Andrews makes a bigger impact. It wouldn’t shock me to see either one (not both) have at least 70 catches. I think the Ravens selected two good tight ends that will help them in 2018, and will make the team much more exciting to watch.