Speaking to the press at the NFL Combine on Wednesday, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that he foresees Ravens tight ends Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst each making significant strides in their sophomore seasons.
“I’m looking for a big jump,” said Harbaugh of Andrews and Hurst. “I’m expecting big things from those two guys.”
The two tight ends had very different trajectories in their rookie seasons. Hurst — the No. 25 overall selection in the 2018 draft — largely fell short of early expectations thanks to a foot fracture that sidelined him for the season’s first four games and hampered him for the rest of the year thereafter. In 12 games, Hurst grabbed just 13 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. In a surprising twist, the first-rounder ended up playing second fiddle to Andrews, a third-round selection who posted 34 receptions, three touchdowns and led all rookie tight ends with 552 receiving yards in 2018.
Harbaugh’s comments about the duo echo those of Greg Roman, Baltimore’s tight ends coach last season and now the team’s newly-installed offensive coordinator.
“Those are two young guys we’re really excited about.” Roman said, via Tyler Hamilton of The Baltimore Times. “Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst finished well. You’ll see a lot more of them this year and not just in traditional alignments. I’m excited about expanding with them this year.”
“They’re only going to get better,” Roman said in an appearance on the Ravens’ The Lounge podcast. “Those guys [Hurst and Andrews], they’re going to be really good.”
