Tight end Hurst, team’s No. 1 draft pick, agrees to deal
Ravens wrap up contracts with their 12 draft picks; practice passes all claimed
The Ravens have wrapped up contracts with all of their draft picks, agreeing to terms with first pick Hayden Hurst on Tuesday, according to an NFL source.
The tight end from South Carolina, taken 25th overall, has impressed during OTA and minicamp practices with his ability to stretch the middle of the field. He’s 6 feet 5, weighs 250 pounds and is fast enough to get separation from linebackers and safeties.
It’s a four-year deal with a fifth-year option. Terms were not disclosed. The 25th pick is slotted to receive just over $11 million with about a $6.2 million signing bonus, according to spotrac.com, which monitors sports contracts.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native who was drafted as a pitcher in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, played two seasons in the minor leagues. He walked on to the football team at South Carolina and played as a freshman in 2015.
Because of his baseball career, Hurst will be 25 by the Ravens’ first regularseason game in September, older than 2015 draft pick and fellow tight end Maxx Williams by almost eight months.
The Ravens’ other first round pick, quarterback Lamar Jackson of Louisville, signed June 5. His draft slot (No. 32 overall) was projected to receive a $9.5 million deal with a $5 million signing bonus, according to the spotrac.com.
When the Ravens introduced Hurst the day after drafting him, assistant head coach and tight ends coach Greg Roman recalled that “from the moment we turned on the tape with him, you just see a multidimensional athlete that has exceptional hands.”
Roman later rattled off the positions at which Hurst might line up: in the backfield, split out wide as a receiver, and closer to the line as a traditional tight end. “And he can throw, too, so watch out.”
With the Ravens now taking a break after minicamps, they have all of their draft picks signed. Training camp begins July 19. Camp passes claimed: Passes to attend Ravens training camp this summer have been claimed for the 15 sessions open to the public, the team announced Tuesday.
The practices at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills will mark the return of fans after construction and parking renovations limited access last summer.
The Ravens can now host nearly 2,000 fans a day to see the open practices. This year’s capacity is far more than the 200 fans they could host when they moved training camp practices to Owings Mills in 2012, the team said in a release.
An online reservation system used by the Ravens was on a first-come, first-serve basis and the digital parking passes were claimed within hours of becoming available Monday. The pass admits one car’s worth of people to a practice.
“We were thrilled to see the overwhelming response from our fans yesterday,” Ravens vice president of marketing Brad Downs said in a release. “There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year’s training camp and team, and we look forward to creating a special experience for fans when they visit practice in Owings Mills.”
The Ravens’ first full-team training camp practice will be July19. The final date for fans to attend is Aug. 14.