Baltimore needed to inject talent at the tight end position entering the 2018 NFL Draft.
Consider the mission accomplished, as the Ravens effectively filled the need with one of the top pass catchers in the position group.
With the 25th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Ravens selected South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst.
The talented 6-foot-4, 250-pound Hurst doesn't possess the head-turning numbers of fellow tight ends South Dakota State's Dallas Goedert or Oklahoma's Mark Andrews. But the former Gamecock tight end finished his college career with a more than respectable 100 catches for 1,281 yards and three touchdowns.
Hurst, who turns 25 in August, also brings maturity and professional experience after a minor league stint in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.
The Ravens are likely to lean on Hurst immediately when considering he joins a tight end group currently consisting of Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams and Vince Mayle. Benjamin Watson, who led the group in 2017 with 61 catches for 522 yards and four touchdowns, signed a one-year deal with the Saints during free agency.
Hurst, who produced a 4.67 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, provides another receiving option in the passing game for quarterback Joe Flacco.
The Ravens will now have Hurst to go along with wide receivers Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead, who recently joined the Ravenson a two-year deal as a restricted free agent after the Saints elected not to match the offer.
