This NFL draft sleeper could be Cam Ward’s perfect mid-round weapon

After committing big money to Wan’Dale Robinson and restructuring Calvin Ridley’s contract, wide receiver doesn’t appear to be as desperate of a need for the Tennessee Titans as it looked a few months ago.

However, recent reports suggest the Titans are still interested in one particular mid round wide receiver target – Georgia State’s Ted Hurst. We dug into Hurst’s film, and here’s everything you need to know about how his game could translate to the NFL.

NFL Draft: Ted Hurst emerging as ideal mid-round option for Tennessee Titans

At 6’4, 206 pounds, Hurst is an explosive, long-striding receiver capable of generating big plays in the deep passing game. The physical tools are obvious, but his route running chops are what separates him from your typical height-weight-speed freak. 

Hurst’s routes in the short and intermediate areas have a ton of snap, something you don’t typically see from this archetype of linear athlete. Take a look at this curl route at the top of the screen. Notice how violently Hurst is able to drop his weight and snap his head back towards the quarterback. 

Hurst also makes the most of his speed by consistently firing off the line with an aggressive posture that really sells the vertical route. He’s able to pair this with efficient footwork to break flat on horizontal routes. He’ll also continue working back towards the line of scrimmage rather than waiting on the ball to arrive.

One of the biggest differentiators between good college and good NFL receivers is the ability to vary their speed to keep defenders off balance. Only a select few college prospects have this skill mastered, but Hurst at least shows flashes of it. 

These flashes can be seen most often when he’s running slant routes against press coverage. Here’s a perfect example. Notice how his first two steps are quick, then he slows down and patiently attacks the defender’s outside shoulder before giving a sudden jab to the outside. That contrast of patience and suddenness is what causes the defender to bite on the outside move. 

One area where Hurst must improve to become a consistent contributor in the NFL is at the catch point. Hurst is a very talented, but very frustrating, pass catcher. This is best expressed with his excellent career contested catch rate of 61.1%, (per PFF) as well as his concerning 9.7% career drop rate. He often makes the difficult catches look easy while making the easy ones look difficult. 

Hurst will also need to continue adding nuance and consistency as a route runner, but there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll get there. He’s clearly very talented, albeit slightly raw, making him the perfect option for the Titans, who have a solid receiving corps in place but are looking for long term upside to pair with Cam Ward as this rebuild progresses.

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