2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Hayden Hurst

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Hayden Hurst, 6-4/250 Tight End South Carolina

Hayden Hurst Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Excellent athlete

Mismatch weapon

Fast for a tight end

Too fast for linebackers and some safeties

Too big for safeties to cover

Ideal frame

Leaping ability

Red-zone weapon

Reliable hands

Soft hands

Fast down the seam

Dangerous run-after-the-catch skills

Breaks tackles downfield; gets yards after contact

Tough to get on the ground

Tracks the ball well

Adjusts well to the ball

Good route-runnner

Finds the soft spots in zone coverage

Fearless in the middle of the field

Effective blocker

Willing blocker

Three-down-starter talent

Athletic upside

Weaknesses:

Age; will be a 25-year old rookie

Summary: In every NFL draft, there are some late-blooming prospects who end up becoming in-demand players. That will be the case this year with Hurst, who is a special athlete with a late start in football. Hurst will be a 25-year old rookie in the NFL because he played professional baseball in the minor leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization out of high school. He reportedly had a fastball that sat in the 90s. After ending his baseball career, Hurst went to the University of South Carolina and quickly established himself as a special tight end.

Hurst made 48 receptions for 616 yards with one touchdown in 2016. In 2017, he totaled 44 receptions for 559 yards with two touchdowns. He also notched a rushing touchdown and did a nice job of blocking.

Hurst has the potential to be a three-down starter at the next level. He is a phenomenal athlete who presents serious mismatch problems for a defense. Hurst has big size and leaping ability to make catches even when he is covered by a defensive back. He also has the speed to separate, and that can be seen with linebackers being incapable of running with him. Safeties also can struggle to run with Hurst and keep him from getting open. With his frame and speed, Hurst is dynamic receiving threat for a tight end.



Hurst has reliable hands and is tremendous after the catch. He runs through tackles and gets yards after contact downfield. He is superb at working the middle seam and has quickness to get to the second level. Via good route-running and his speed, Hurst can consistently get open. He tracks the ball well, adjusts to passes with his fluid athleticism, and is a real red-zone threat. Given his athletic upside, Hurst’s best football is in front of him as he should improve as he gains experience.

As a blocker, Hurst has size and strength with the ability to win his blocks. He gives an effort and was a quality contributor to the Gamecocks’ rushing offense. His blocking should improve with pro coaching, but he enters the NFL as a plus blocker and significantly better than most receiving-tight end prospects for the NFL.

Sources from a number of teams have a lot of praise for Hurst. Area scouts and national scouts have raved about Hurst possessing rare speed, athleticism and size. They think he has a first-round skill set but that the age factor is what could push him to the second day of the 2018 NFL Draft. One national scout thinks that Hurst still could go in Round 1 because this is not a deep tight end draft and there are teams that are in need of a mismatch weapon at the position. Hurst looks likely to be taken in the top-64 selections of the 2018 NFL Draft.





Player Comparison: Zach Ertz. Hurst and Ertz (6-5, 250) are almost identical in size and have similar athleticism. Both possess speed and agility to go with their frames. They also have blocking ability to go along with being receiving threats. Ertz was a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, and Hurst could easily go in that round in 2018.

NFL Matches: Pittsburgh, Miami, Baltimore, Green Bay, New England, Jacksonville and Houston

There are a lot of teams that could be a fit for Hurst in the first few rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft. Perhaps the highest that he could hope to go would be to the Steelers at the end of the first round. Pittsburgh needs a tight end upgrade and is in win-now mode, so Hurst’s age may not be an issue for the organization.

In the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, there are a lot of potential landing spots. Miami needs a three-down starting tight end, and Hurst could be an instant upgrade for the Dolphins. Baltimore also needs a tight end upgrade because Maxx Williams hasn’t panned out so far.

The Packers need a starting tight end. Martellus Bennett didn’t last one year in Green Bay, while Richard Rodgers is in free agency. Green Bay could use a receiving upgrade over Rodgers. Even if he’s re-signed, that wouldn’t eliminate Hurst as a potential second-round pick. The Patriots have two second-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft and could consider Hurst as a tight end to pair with Rob Gronkowski. Hurst would give New England some scheme protection if Gronkowski gets injured again.

The Jaguars could use a long-term starting tight end as Austin Seferian-Jenkins was only signed to a cheap 2-year deal and Marcedes Lewis was let go. If Hurst were to slide well into Round 2, he could be a great value for the Texans if they were able to trade up from the third round.

2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Home Adonis Alexander, CB, Virginia Tech Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma Dorance Armstrong, DE, Kansas Marcel Ateman, WR, Oklahoma State Anthony Averett, CB, Alabama Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State Sam Beal, CB, Western Michigan Andrew Brown, DE, Virginia Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma Taven Bryan, DT, Florida Lorenzo Carter, LB, Georgia D.J. Chark, WR, LSU Geron Christian, OT, Louisville Bradley Chubb, DE, N.C. State Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia Simmie Cobbs, WR, Indiana Tyrell Crosby, OT, Oregon James Daniels, C, Iowa Sam Darnold, QB, USC Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn Duke Dawson, CB, Florida Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech Duke Ejiofor, DE, Wake Forest Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama Luke Falk, QB, Washington State Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State Rasheem Green, DT, USC Derrius Guice, RB, LSU DaeSean Hamilton, WR, Penn State Da'Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama Will Hernandez, G, UTEP Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State Mike Hughes, CB, Central Florida Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan Donte Jackson, CB, LSU Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville Joshua Jackson, CB, Iowa Derwin James, S, Florida State Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn Ronald Jones, RB, USC Arden Key, DE, LSU Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M Micah Kiser, LB, Virginia Harold Landry, DE, Boston College Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State Iman Marshall, CB, USC Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame Sony Michel, RB, Georgia Anthony Miller, WR, Memphis Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford Billy Price, C, Ohio State Frank Ragnow, C, Arkansas Martinas Rankin, OT, Mississippi State Justin Reid, S, Stanford Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA Mason Rudolph, QB, Oklahoma State Jaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech Braden Smith, G, Auburn Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU Chad Thomas, DE, Miami Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State Vita Vea, DT, Washington Akrum Wadley, RB, Iowa Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson Connor Williams, OT, Texas Isaiah Wynn, G, Georgia

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