The New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars were two teams reportedly linked to be interested in trading for current Baltimore Ravens tight end, Hayden Hurst. As reported by Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette), the two teams will likely be in a bidding war with the trade expected to happen before this spring’s draft.
New England Patriots Trade Rumors: Hayden Hurst
Player Overview
Baltimore selected Hurst in the first round of the 2018 draft with their 25th overall pick, just seven picks ahead of quarterback, Lamar Jackson. In Hurst’s rookie season he appeared in 12 games in which he caught 13 balls for 163 yards and just one touchdown. This past season, Hurst had slightly improved numbers as he appeared in all 16 regular season games in which he caught 30 balls for 349 yards and two touchdowns. While these numbers are far from impressive, they fail to paint the full picture for Hurst as a player. The former South Carolina Gamecock was the Ravens third option at tight end this past season behind players such as Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle.
Hurst’s position on the depth chart is not a reflection of a lack of NFL talent, but rather demonstrates the plethora of talent the Ravens currently have at tight end. Considering his lack of usage within an offense which has a surplus of tight end talent, Hurst should not at all be labeled as a bust. Due to Baltimore’s other two tight ends and Hurst being just two years into the league, it makes a lot of sense for the team to consider trading him to the highest bidder.
Hayden Hurst’s Fit in New England
New England desperately needs to find upgrades at tight end this off-season and Hurst would be a very intriguing option. At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds Hurst certainly has the frame of an NFL tight end. Additionally, at the 2018 NFL combine, Hurst had a solid performance in which he ran a 4.67 second 40 yard dash, had a 31.5 inch vertical jump, and 7.19 second three cone drill. For an athlete of his size, these numbers demonstrate how well Hurst can move as well as his impressive pure athleticism for the tight end position. Furthermore, Hurst has very reliable hands and is admirable after the catch as he often seeks out physical contact rather than opting for a finesse move.
Possible Trade Packages
While New England currently has more draft picks than the Jaguars, Jacksonville has two first round picks and one second rounder that they can negotiate with. Unfortunately, the Patriots do not have this type of high end draft capital to offer up as they have just one first round pick and no second round selections. In order to outbid the Jaguars, New England will likely need to feature a decent player in addition to one of their three third round picks. A good canidate the Patriots could look to feature in this deal is running back, Sony Michel. Michel is coming off a mediocre statistical season and proved that without an elite offensive line which is capable of opening up big holes, he is just an average back. Moreover, New England selected running back, Damien Harris, in last year’s third round and he could help fill the void of trading away Michel.
Hayden Hurst still has two years left on his rookie contract as well as carrying a fifth year option the Patriots could pick up if he produces within their offense. Hurst would provide an instant upgrade at tight end for New England and while trading away Michel would be difficult to swallow, New England has a desperate need to find reliable young pass catchers.
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