The Baltimore Ravens executed a near-perfect draft in 2018 as they landed Lamar Jackson, Orlando Brown Jr., Mark Andrews, and more. The team felt an instant impact from many of the players in the class, and those contributions have only grown. However, one high draft pick in Baltimore’s 2018 haul that never panned out for the organization was Hayden Hurst.
The tight end out of the University of South Carolina caught just 43 passes for 512 yards and three touchdowns in his two years with the Ravens before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons during the 2020 offseason. Part of the reason that Baltimore parted with Hurst was the fact that he wanted a bigger role after being overshadowed by Andrews, his fellow 2018-draftee.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay put together a “draft do-over” list for all 32 teams, selecting one player from each organization who he believes would warrant a “draft do-over” while looking at only the past five draft classes. For the Ravens, he believes that the team would like a second chance at their selection of Hurst. Here’s what Kay had to say about his choice for Baltimore.
“The Ravens were sorely lacking a tight end going into the 2018 draft and decided to pull the trigger on Hayden Hurst when they were on the clock in the first round. While tight end is a notoriously difficult position to find immediate success at when making the jump from college to the pros, Hurst failed to make the transition at a rate that Baltimore was hoping for when it tabbed him with the No. 25 overall pick.”
Kay also said that the Ravens would have been better off selecting a player like Calvin Ridley, who was still on the board when Baltimore picked Hurst at No. 25.
“While Hurst may end up being a real asset in the NFL, the Ravens weren’t able to unlock him and would have been better served drafting a player like Calvin Ridley, a star wideout in the making who was taken one pick later in 2018.”
Hurst was a great teammate while he was with the Ravens, but never put together consistent performances while he was on the field. Whether that’s due to the foot injury he suffered before his first NFL game or because he wasn’t a system fit might never be known. However, if Baltimore did want a chance to re-do their selection of Hurst, it’d be intriguing to see what a player like Ridley could have done in the Ravens’ offense.
