I have some interest in the tight ends the Ravens selected in the first and third rounds, Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews. They use that position. Only Philadelphia and Kansas City last year completed more passes to tight ends.
They took Hurst in the first round, even though he’s older after trying baseball. Hurst will be 25 on opening day. Hurst has really good hands – caught 100 passes with only one drop when he was at South Carolina.
Andrews might be a better pass receiving threat – a converted wide receiver. At times last year at Oklahoma, he looked a lot like Travis Kelce, getting downfield for big strikes. Andrews caught 62 passes for 958 yards and 8 TDs in his final season, averaging 15.5 yards per catch.
When they’re playing, Andrews looks like he’s a little faster and more athletic, but that might be just a reflection of how he was used. They both ran 4.67 at the combine.
My concern with these guys is that I’m not sure the Ravens will truly unlock their potential anytime soon. They’ve got Joe Flacco at quarterback (at least for now) and I don’t know if he can throw downfield anymore. Those vertical routes that Andrews was running at Oklahoma – I don’t think Flacco can throw those.
In each of the last two years, Baltimore’s tight ends have ranked last in yards-per-completion. Last in 2016, and last in 2017.
Benjamin Watson last year averaged 8.6 yards per completion. Maxx Williams averaged 5.7 and Nick Boyle close at 7.3. The previous season, Dennis Pitta averaged 8.5, Darren Waller averaged 8.5, Crockett Gillmore averaged 8.9 and Boyle averaged 7.3.
Not that these are the most dynamic, athletic tight ends in the league, but those low averages are more a reflection of how they were being used and the throws that were being made. With where Flacco is at right now, I think he wants to check the ball down to guys who are open underneath, with their backs turned to the defense. I don’t think he’s comfortable making the throws with a higher degree of difficulty, where he’s trying to drop the ball in to a tight end running a deeper route.
Since 2016, Baltimore’s tight ends have averaged only 8.1 yards per catch. That’s a half yard lower than every other team.
| TIGHT ENDS, YARDS PER CATCH (2016-17) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| New England | 177 | 2,566 | 14.5 | 20 |
| San Francisco | 125 | 1,705 | 13.6 | 13 |
| Carolina | 140 | 1,862 | 13.3 | 6 |
| Kansas City | 215 | 2,620 | 12.2 | 14 |
| Denver | 103 | 1,248 | 12.1 | 7 |
| Atlanta | 119 | 1,436 | 12.1 | 14 |
| Tampa Bay | 160 | 1,923 | 12.0 | 24 |
| Arizona | 110 | 1,296 | 11.8 | 9 |
| Cleveland | 136 | 1,577 | 11.6 | 10 |
| LA Chargers | 172 | 1,994 | 11.6 | 22 |
| Washington | 199 | 2,272 | 11.4 | 14 |
| Tennessee | 177 | 2,019 | 11.4 | 15 |
| Seattle | 169 | 1,917 | 11.3 | 23 |
| Buffalo | 145 | 1,627 | 11.2 | 9 |
| New Orleans | 115 | 1,288 | 11.2 | 8 |
| Oakland | 129 | 1,425 | 11.0 | 7 |
| Detroit | 141 | 1,553 | 11.0 | 8 |
| LA Rams | 102 | 1,123 | 11.0 | 6 |
| Green Bay | 120 | 1,310 | 10.9 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 132 | 1,400 | 10.6 | 10 |
| Philadelphia | 239 | 2,500 | 10.5 | 19 |
| Cincinnati | 122 | 1,275 | 10.5 | 14 |
| Indianapolis | 207 | 2,157 | 10.4 | 16 |
| Chicago | 118 | 1,215 | 10.3 | 11 |
| Houston | 168 | 1,724 | 10.3 | 9 |
| Dallas | 148 | 1,445 | 9.8 | 10 |
| Jacksonville | 127 | 1,237 | 9.7 | 12 |
| Miami | 111 | 1,076 | 9.7 | 10 |
| Minnesota | 164 | 1,554 | 9.5 | 16 |
| NY Giants | 175 | 1,658 | 9.5 | 11 |
| NY Jets | 80 | 689 | 8.6 | 4 |
| Baltimore | 214 | 1,740 | 8.1 | 10 |
—Ian Allan