Brown: The Ravens also needed tight ends. It’s safe to assume they had Hibner ranked higher on their draft board than Hecht, who was taken by the Carolina Panthers in Round 5 (144).
Both Head Coach Jesse Minter and General Manager Eric DeCosta are high on Hibner.
“His numbers are off the charts,” DeCosta said. “He’s really, really explosive, a great jumper, and has really good ball skills. He had an awesome year at receiving tight end.”
I understand why you’re asking about the center position. The Ravens still haven’t named a starter after losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, and they were expected to draft one. DeCosta said the Ravens “really assessed” whether it was worth trading up to get one, but it would have cost them a third, fourth, and fifth-round pick to do so.
“Would I rather have Ja’Kobi, Sarratt, and Hibner? I probably would than one player at that point,” DeCosta said. “Honestly, like looking at this list of [our drafted players], I probably wouldn’t do anything differently.”
Who will start at center is Baltimore’s biggest remaining post-draft question. The Ravens have three in-house options to compete for the job: Danny Pinter, Jovaughn Gwyn, and Corey Bullock. They also have several months to pivot if a starter doesn’t emerge from that trio.
DeCosta said on “The Lounge” podcast that he’ll be on the lookout for veterans who are cut and potential trade options this offseason.