2. Hayden Hurst, tight end

With big-money deals already committed to several key players, the Falcons could only watch as tight end Austin Hooper went to the free-agent market and landed a four-year, $42 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.

The Falcons traded a second-round pick to Baltimore to land Hurst, a former first-round pick, who will be entering his third season.

He’ll need a breakout season to replace Hooper’s production. Hooper caught 75 and 71 passes the past two seasons. Hurst, in his first two seasons in the league, caught only 13 and 30.

Hooper also got off to a slow start in his career. He caught 19 passes as a rookie and then 30 the following year before busting out in his third season.

Hurst traveled from Jacksonville to Atlanta and then to California this offseason to work out with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

“He is for sure one of the fastest and most athletic tight ends that I’ve played with,” Ryan said. “I’ve been fortunate to play with some really good ones.”

The Falcons had Hurst on their draft board in 2018, but he was selected 25th, a pick before they took Ridley.

“He’s different from a guy like Austin Hooper,” Ryan said. “He’s different from a guy like Tony Gonzalez. He got a different skill set. The thing that is similar to those guys is that he’s a mismatch problem.

“He’s a problem for the guys he’s going against. He’s just going to create, separate and win in different ways than those guys did.”

Ryan believes Hurst, who was beaten out in Baltimore by 2018 third-round pick Mark Andrews, can make a big step forward.

“I think people are going to be impressed with his speed and his ability to separate with his athleticism,” Ryan said.

TODD OLSZEWSKI / GETTY IMAGES / TNS 2019 The Falcons need tight end Hayden Hurst, a former Ravens first-round pick, to replace Austin Hooper’s production.