Matt Ryan says Hayden Hurst is one of the ‘fastest and most athletic tight ends I’ve ever played with’

On a Zoom call with media on Tuesday, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said that new tight end Hayden Hurst is one of the “fastest and most athletic tight ends I’ve ever played with,” per Falcons reporter Will McFadden.

Ryan has played with some pretty good tight ends in his day, with Tony Gonzalez being the most notable while Austin Hooper had a breakout season with Atlanta before moving on to the Browns this offseason.

Hurst was selected 25th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 but took a back seat to Mark Andrews last season and pushed for a trade. Atlanta didn’t add many receiving options this offseason, and with Hooper gone, there are plenty of targets that will be available for Hurst. Ryan has always targeted his tight ends well and as long as Hurst is up for the job, he has a good shot of living up to his current 11th tight end off the board ADP.