The Falcons acted fast after Pro Bowl tight end Austin Hooper signed with the Browns in free agency, sending a second-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for Hayden Hurst.
A first-round pick back in 2018, Hurst figures to be a big part of Atlanta’s offense in 2020. Despite playing for an explosive Ravens offense last season, Hurst’s numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping. He was overshadowed by Mark Andrews, who led Baltimore with 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Hurst was still the team’s third-leading receiver, though, as quarterback Lamar Jackson‘s tendency to spread the ball around along with his running ability kept defenses guessing all year. In a more traditional offense, with a quarterback that lacks mobility, could the third-year tight end be poised for a breakout year?
Let’s take a look at the first two years of Hooper and Hurst side by side and see what the numbers say.
| YEAR 1 | Targets | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Catch % |
| Austin Hooper | 27 | 19 | 271 | 3 | 70.4% |
| Hayden Hurst | 23 | 13 | 163 | 1 | 56.5% |
As we can see, neither made much of an impact in their first season. Hooper had four more targets, finishing with six more catches and over 100 more yards. Hurst would end his rookie season catching just 13 of 23 targets for a catch rate of 56.5%.
Both players would show significant progress in year two, nearly doubling their rookie season stats.
| YEAR 2 | Targets | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Catch % |
| Austin Hooper | 65 | 49 | 526 | 3 | 75.4% |
| Hayden Hurst | 39 | 30 | 349 | 2 | 76.9% |
Hurst became a much more reliable target during his sophomore campaign, accounting for 11.2% of Baltimore’s receiving yards. Comparatively, Hooper accounted for 12.8% of the Falcons’ receiving yardage during his second season back in 2017.
In year three, Hooper would up his numbers in each category slightly. His targets jumped from 65 to 88, which he turned into career highs of 71 catches, 660 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Hooper was the primary beneficiary from Dirk Koetter’s arrival as offensive coordinator in 2019. Playing in more two tight end sets, Hooper thrived with career bests again in targets (97), catches (75), yards (787) and touchdowns (6) over just 13 games.
Numbers don’t tell the whole story but Hurst’s third-year production will give a good indication of how high his ceiling is. It’s safe to assume his stats will make another jump due to playing as the Falcons’ No. 1 tight end in an offense that passes significantly more than Baltimore’s.
Atlanta liked Hurst coming out of college, and the team’s decision to pass on a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft shows how highly the front office think of his talent. Assuming this season goes forward as scheduled, Hurst is one name Falcons fans will be watching closely.
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