Chicago Bears: 3 Trades for a tight end Ryan Pace must consider
Hayden Hurst
Yep, it is literally this simple. The Chicago Bears are being awarded a compensatory pick that will fall in the fourth round. In order to lock up Hayden Hurst, Ryan Pace should call Baltimore and offer them this pick.
Hurst has been second fiddle behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore despite being drafted earlier in the same draft. Hurst was the 25th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Andrews was drafted in the third round, just 61 picks later.
Hurst was projected by many as the best tight end in the 2018 draft class. He was the most complete and should have been able to step in immediately. That did not seem to work out exactly as planned. The one knock on Hurst was that he was older than most when being drafted. Although Andrews and Hurst were drafted just two years ago, Hurst will be 27 years already in his third season, but Andrews will only be 24.
If we go back just one season, we will see that Nick Vannett was traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a future (2020) fifth-round pick. Vannett is the same age as Hurst despite being drafted in 2016. He was a third-round pick coming off the best season of his career. Vannett finished the 2018 season with three touchdowns and 269 yards receiving. His catch rate was just over 67 percent. The Steelers traded for Vannett hoping he was trending up.
Vannett’s 2019 season was not as productive. He played three games for the Seahawks before being traded. His time in Pittsburgh was not productive, but still better than any of the Bears’ tight ends last year. With Hurst’s initial first-round cost, I believe a fifth-round pick as was traded in the Vannett deal is a little too low. A fourth-round pick should seal the deal though.
Hurst finished 2019 with 349 yards and two touchdowns. His catch rate was 76.9 percent. Hurst has the speed and athleticism to move all around and is a solid blocker too. He could step in and instantly push Trey Burton for the starting spot. The best part is that he is only due $3 million in 2020 and $3.5 million in 2021. Hurst could be the answer the Bears’ offense needs. If not Hurst, maybe this tight end would be better.