As we all know, the tight end position is an integral part of the Patriots offense. Throughout the past decade, New England had the best player in the NFL at the position in Rob Gronkowski. Aside from him, during the Tom Brady era, they have used all different types of two-tight end formations, both for blocking purposes and for pass catching. In 2019, New England struggled to really get any production whatsoever from the position. As we head into the free agency period of 2020, it is no secret that they will be actively looking to upgrade.
During the NFL combine and the months leading up to the draft, of course there are a plethora of trade rumors. It is important to take them all with a grain of salt, but it still is fair to look into them. As of last week, a report came out that both the Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars were interested in Baltimore Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst. After attending the University of South Carolina, Hurst was the 25th pick of the first round in 2018. Jacksonville was interested in him then, which makes sense that they would be considering trading for him now.
Hurst now has two seasons under his belt in Baltimore; he caught 13 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in year one, and then caught 30 passes for 349 yards and a pair of touchdowns last year. He certainly improved a lot, but he has cited a lack of targets as a reason he wants out.The Ravens drafted Mark Andrews out of Oklahoma in the third round of the same draft, who became one of the best tight ends in the league last year. He had ten touchdowns and 852 yards, meaning Hurst did not see as much action as he would have liked to. The question is, what would the Patriots be giving up for him?
In my opinion, the 23rd overall pick would be an overpay. As stated earlier, Hurst went 25th two years ago, and although he has been a solid player, his production absolutely is not that of a first round pick. It is not necessarily his fault, as he has been playing behind Andrews, but Baltimore would be crazy to expect New England to cough up their top pick. With that said, a second rounder is what I think would easily get the deal done, but that brings up another problem: The Patriots second round pick has turned into Mohamed Sanu. That is correct, last year when they were in desperate need of wide receiver help, they went ahead and traded for Sanu, who ended up being not nearly as effective as expected. So, that means it would have to be a third round pick which I do not believe would be enough. It would have to be some combination of the 2020 third rounder and 2021 third rounder, or this year’s pick and a player. Although it is just a rumor right now, I think it is extremely possible that Hurst ends up on the Patriots.
If it does not work out with Hurst, New England is still going to be looking for tight ends. A name that instantly comes to mind is Hunter Henry form the Los Angeles Chargers. He is one of the most talented players in the league, and can both block and pass. I would never make a comparison to Gronkowski, but this would be as close as they could come. He is now an unrestricted free agent, and although he would be pricey, I think he would be a perfect fit. Not to mention, Tom Brady would be thrilled to have a weapon of Henry’s caliber.