Oldfaithful
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2018 Scouting Report: Hayden Hurst, South Carolina, Tight End
This is a series of articles about players I have been personally scouting. Since I have no life I enjoy watching the tapes of several prospects. Would I consider myself an expert or a guru? Nope. I’m not applying for jobs with other teams. Would I say I’ve had more hits than misses? Yes, especially over the past three years. But that does not make my authority “final”. These articles are solely my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree!
Whilst continuing the run of Tight Ends in this course I now come across one of the most divisive players in the entire draft class. Tight End Hayden Hurst is 6’5, 250 pounds and very athletic. Some people have him as a middling prospect whilst others have him very highly rated in the class.
Truth be told. I have found him to be one of the most infuriating players to watch tape on, but not for the reason you think. Hurst appears to be flawed on paper, and he’s certainly got a massive flaw that keeps him from being one of the top two prospects in the class. His lack of production is initially concerning until you turn on his tape and realize that his quarterback is absolutely abysmal. So, let’s objectively go into Hurst. Let’s hope that a Hurst from South Carolina is much better than the one we got from North Carolina.
Positives:
Let me preface this here: Hurst’s issues have little to do with his actual capabilities. Hurst in terms of pure skills and athletic ability is a top-level prospect because he is very athletic, has a set of good hands, and is a good blocker. Some believe he’s more akin to a Crockett Gilmore type, but upon reexamination of his tape I do not see that at all. Crockett Gilmore is not the same kind of athlete that Hayden Hurst is.
Hurst has a better initial burst than any Tight End in this class. Hurst was used occasionally out of the backfield on rushing downs. This burst does help him after the catch as well.
He does not have a gear, but he does have some burst.
Hurst is also a good target over the middle for different reasons. He was able to make tough catches over the middle. Of course, not with any frequency thanks to his quarterback play not being good. But he seldom puts balls on the ground.
That said Hurst can do the Crockett Gillmore thing where he’s just simply bigger than everyone and is impossible to bring down.
His blocking is not bad either, pretty good in fact, but he could stand to improve and get stronger.
Overall, Hurst has some raw qualities that make him very good.
Now for the negatives.
Negatives
Hayden Hurst will be a very old rookie. He’s currently 24 and will be 25 when the season officially starts. This normally would be something I overlook, but he plays a slow developing position in an NFL Tight End. This knocks him down a round or two for me in my overall grading for this reason alone.
But there are other things that I have some concerns about. I do think his route running needs significant improvement. He gets open, but he needs to continue to improve. His game is eventually going to have to evolve as his athletic ability declines.
Player Comparison: Travis Kelce, TE. Kelce is the second best Tight End in the NFL right now, but he has a lot of similar qualities. Very good athlete with a good set of hands, who is underrated after the catch and can make tough catches over the middle. He’s a good blocker. A comparison that will seem lofty, but his talent is evident.
Overall Grade: Mid Third- Mid Fourth Rounder. In terms of pure ability, I rank him as highly as a late first to early second rounder given his skill set. But his age pushes him back a little. But not as far back as I think it pushed back Dennis Pitta, who was also 25 when he entered the league. He’s a good prospect, whom I’d be more than happy if we drafted. His age is a big red flag, but one that I feel can be overlooked. Until Pitta’s hip injury he was productive for us when he started to enter his physical prime. I would not mind Hurst, can’t be worse than the one we currently have.
This is a series of articles about players I have been personally scouting. Since I have no life I enjoy watching the tapes of several prospects. Would I consider myself an expert or a guru? Nope. I’m not applying for jobs with other teams. Would I say I’ve had more hits than misses? Yes, especially over the past three years. But that does not make my authority “final”. These articles are solely my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree!
Whilst continuing the run of Tight Ends in this course I now come across one of the most divisive players in the entire draft class. Tight End Hayden Hurst is 6’5, 250 pounds and very athletic. Some people have him as a middling prospect whilst others have him very highly rated in the class.
Truth be told. I have found him to be one of the most infuriating players to watch tape on, but not for the reason you think. Hurst appears to be flawed on paper, and he’s certainly got a massive flaw that keeps him from being one of the top two prospects in the class. His lack of production is initially concerning until you turn on his tape and realize that his quarterback is absolutely abysmal. So, let’s objectively go into Hurst. Let’s hope that a Hurst from South Carolina is much better than the one we got from North Carolina.
Positives:
Let me preface this here: Hurst’s issues have little to do with his actual capabilities. Hurst in terms of pure skills and athletic ability is a top-level prospect because he is very athletic, has a set of good hands, and is a good blocker. Some believe he’s more akin to a Crockett Gilmore type, but upon reexamination of his tape I do not see that at all. Crockett Gilmore is not the same kind of athlete that Hayden Hurst is.
Hurst has a better initial burst than any Tight End in this class. Hurst was used occasionally out of the backfield on rushing downs. This burst does help him after the catch as well.
He does not have a gear, but he does have some burst.
Hurst is also a good target over the middle for different reasons. He was able to make tough catches over the middle. Of course, not with any frequency thanks to his quarterback play not being good. But he seldom puts balls on the ground.
That said Hurst can do the Crockett Gillmore thing where he’s just simply bigger than everyone and is impossible to bring down.
His blocking is not bad either, pretty good in fact, but he could stand to improve and get stronger.
Overall, Hurst has some raw qualities that make him very good.
Now for the negatives.
Negatives
Hayden Hurst will be a very old rookie. He’s currently 24 and will be 25 when the season officially starts. This normally would be something I overlook, but he plays a slow developing position in an NFL Tight End. This knocks him down a round or two for me in my overall grading for this reason alone.
But there are other things that I have some concerns about. I do think his route running needs significant improvement. He gets open, but he needs to continue to improve. His game is eventually going to have to evolve as his athletic ability declines.
Player Comparison: Travis Kelce, TE. Kelce is the second best Tight End in the NFL right now, but he has a lot of similar qualities. Very good athlete with a good set of hands, who is underrated after the catch and can make tough catches over the middle. He’s a good blocker. A comparison that will seem lofty, but his talent is evident.
Overall Grade: Mid Third- Mid Fourth Rounder. In terms of pure ability, I rank him as highly as a late first to early second rounder given his skill set. But his age pushes him back a little. But not as far back as I think it pushed back Dennis Pitta, who was also 25 when he entered the league. He’s a good prospect, whom I’d be more than happy if we drafted. His age is a big red flag, but one that I feel can be overlooked. Until Pitta’s hip injury he was productive for us when he started to enter his physical prime. I would not mind Hurst, can’t be worse than the one we currently have.
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