Hayden Randle Hurst (born August 24, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

and was drafted by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

in the first round of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

Early years

Hurst attended The

Bolles School The Bolles School is an American private college preparatory day and boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida. It has a lower school (including pre-kindergarten), a middle school, and a high school, spread across four campuses around the Jackson ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. He played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and baseball for the Bulldogs athletic teams. He graduated in 2012. Hurst was chosen by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the 17th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

and signed with the Pirates for a $400,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, turning down a baseball scholarship from

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. Hurst played two seasons in the Pirates organization before walking onto South Carolina's football team. In his only minor league pitching appearance, Hurst walked five batters and threw two wild pitches in one-third of an inning. Hurst gave up baseball because he was afflicted by "the

yips In sports, the yips (in gymnastics, lost move syndrome or the twisties) are a sudden and unexplained loss of ability to execute certain skills in experienced athletes. Symptoms of the yips are losing fine motor skills and psychological issues that ...

College career

In 2015, as a true freshman, Hurst played in all 12 of South Carolina's games, catching eight passes for 106 yards. In 2016, as a sophomore, Hurst played in all 13 games, catching at least one pass in each. He caught a career high seven passes against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. In total, Hurst caught 48 passes for 616 yards. He was awarded a scholarship the following spring. In 2017, as a junior, Hurst once again played in all 13 games (including the 2018 Outback Bowl), catching 44 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns. He was unanimously named to the 2017 All-SEC football team. Hurst declared for the

on December 7, 2017, nearly a month before the 2018 Outback Bowl against Michigan. Hurst recorded three receptions for 41 yards in the 2018 Outback Bowl for a 26–19 South Carolina victory over

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

2018

The

selected Hurst in the first round (25th overall) of the

. He was the first tight end selected in the draft. On June 19, 2018, Hurst signed a four-year deal worth $11 million featuring a $6.1 million signing bonus. He recorded his first career touchdown reception, a 26-yard pass from fellow rookie

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...

, on October 28, 2018, late in the fourth quarter of a 21–36 loss to the

. Overall, Hurst finished the 2018 season with 13 receptions for 163 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2019

On September 15, 2019, in Week 2 against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

, Hurst caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson, the second of his career, as the Ravens won 23–17. In Week 14 against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, Hurst caught three passes for 73 yards, including a career-long 61-yard touchdown pass from Jackson that helped the Ravens eventually win 24–17 and clinch a playoff berth. Overall, Hurst finished the 2019 season with 30 receptions for 349 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, Hurst caught four passes for 53 yards and a touchdown during the 12–28 loss.

Atlanta Falcons

On March 16, 2020, the Ravens agreed to trade Hurst to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

along with a fourth-round pick in the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

in return for 2020 second and fifth-round picks. The deal became official on March 18. In Week 2 against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, Hurst caught five passes for 72 yards and his first touchdown reception as a member of the Falcons during the 39–40 loss. The Falcons declined to exercise the fifth-year option on Hurst's contract on May 3, 2021, making him a free agent after the 2021 season. On November 18, 2021, Hurst was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He was activated on December 11, 2021.

Cincinnati Bengals

Hurst signed a one-year contract with the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

on March 18, 2022. He was named the Bengals starting tight end in 2022, recording 52 catches for 414 yards and two touchdowns through 13 starts.

Carolina Panthers

Hurst signed a three-year contract with the

on March 15, 2023.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bioBaltimore Ravens bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurst, Hayden 1993 births Living people American football tight ends Atlanta Falcons players Baltimore Ravens players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast Pirates players Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida South Carolina Gamecocks football players Cincinnati Bengals players