Matthew Hibner

Mark Andrews is locked in as TE1 with fully guaranteed 2026 money and partial guarantees through 2027. Hibner enters as a developmental TE3/4 behind Andrews and blocking specialist Durham Smythe, with limited early path to targets.

Hibner spent six years in college (Michigan 2020–23, SMU 2024–25), making him approximately 24–25 as a rookie — older than typical dynasty TE prospects, which meaningfully compresses his prime window and long-term ceiling.

Baltimore also drafted Josh Cuevas at TE in 2026, creating direct head-to-head competition for the vacated pass-catching TE2 role left by Isaiah Likely (signed with Giants) and Charlie Kolar (signed with Chargers).

Career college output is thin — just two catches at Michigan and one productive SMU season — so the bet rests on athletic traits (4.57 forty, 37-inch vert) rather than proven receiving translation.

The Ravens traded up to select Hibner and simultaneously lost both pass-catching TEs from their roster, signaling clear organizational intent to groom Hibner as Andrews' long-term successor in a TE-premium system.

Isaiah Likely's departure to the Giants vacates the clear TE2/move-tight-end role; the Ravens explicitly envision Hibner in a 'Likely-type' versatile pass-catcher slot.

With Likely and Kolar both departed and Smythe being a blocking-only specialist, the pass-catching TE2 role is legitimately uncontested — giving Hibner a realistic path to meaningful targets as early as Year 1.

Hibner's 4.57 40-yard dash (5th among TEs at combine) and 37-inch vertical (4th among TEs) align precisely with Baltimore's vertical seam TE usage under Lamar Jackson, who has historically elevated athletic TEs.

Baltimore traded up (a 5th and a 2027 6th to San Francisco) to secure Hibner at 133 — a meaningful organizational investment for a Day 3 TE.

Andrews turns 31 in September 2026 and posted back-to-back underwhelming seasons (48-422-5 in 2025), meaning an accelerated role transition to Hibner within the contract window is a plausible near-term scenario.