Baltimore Ravens: 2018 will be the Renaissance of the tight end position
The Ravens have always valued the tight end position, i.e. Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta, but 2018 will mark a Renaissance at the position for the team.
Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta may headline the Baltimore Ravens all-time greats at tight end, but the team has seen plenty of guys come in and become immediate focal points of the passing game. Let’s not forget that Ed Dickson once looked like a star before Pitta did, while veterans like Dallas Clark and Benjamin Watson also played large roles on the team’s offense during their short-lived tenures.
This has prompted the Ravens to invest heavily in the position throughout their lifespan. Since the 2010 NFL Draft, the team has spent two draft picks at the tight end position in a single draft three separate times (2010, 2015, 2018). Additionally, all but one (out of seven) of the tight ends selected since 2010 were picked in round four-or-higher, the exception being Nick Boyle in 2015 (fifth round).
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High investments in guys like Maxx Williams have yet to see their production match their investment, but all hope is not lost. Meanwhile, the Ravens drafted Hayden Hurst in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Both of these young men managed to get their name’s called, for a good reason, during Thursday night’s win over the Chicago Bears in the Hall of Fame Game.
During the contest, Williams caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Robert Griffin III, the team’s first of 2018, while Hurst caught a touchdown of his own from fellow rookie Lamar Jackson.
Maybe that doesn’t mean much on the surface, but it could mean something. Just off pure speculation from one meaningless preseason game, let’s take a look at what this could potentially mean for the Ravens tight end position in 2018.