The Atlanta Falcons have traded for Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter, sending second- and fifth-round picks to Baltimore for Hurst and a fourth-round selection.
Hurst is set to replace Austin Hooper at tight end for the Falcons. Hooper told ESPN’s Vaughn McClure on Monday that he has agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cleveland Browns that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
Hurst, 26, hadn’t lived up to the expectations of being a first-round pick two years ago after falling behind Mark Andrews on Baltimore’s depth chart. He caught 30 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns last season and expressed a desire to go somewhere to become more of a focal point of the passing game.
He becomes the first Ravens’ first-round pick to part ways with the team after two seasons.
By dealing Hurst, the Ravens have stockpiled picks on the first two days of the draft, totaling five selections in the first three rounds. Baltimore still has depth at tight end with Andrews, who made his first Pro Bowl last season, and Nick Boyle, who is considered one of the top blocking tight ends in the game.
Hurst was the first tight end selected in the 2018 draft, taken No. 25 overall — seven spots before Baltimore drafted quarterback Lamar Jackson. But Hurst missed the first four games of his rookie season after having surgery for a stress fracture in his foot and never clicked in the offense like Andrews.
The fifth-round pick acquired from the Falcons was used by Baltimore in Sunday’s trade for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell. Baltimore sent its fourth-round compensatory pick (143rd overall) in its deal with Atlanta.
Hurst has become an advocate for mental health and said during the offseason that depression led him to a suicide attempt four years ago. He has spoken at high schools and colleges in Maryland and Florida, talking about the need for the younger generation to address their mental health.
In 2013, when he was a promising pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ minor league system, he went from throwing 97 mph to not being able to throw the ball straight. He had suddenly developed the “yips,” a performance anxiety disorder that affected him so badly that pitches would sail over batters’ heads.