The Baltimore Ravens moved up 21 picks with the San Francisco 49ers in Saturday’s fourth round and selected Matthew Hibner with the 133rd pick. Baltimore sent the 154th pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to San Francisco to land the SMU tight end.
The move gives the Ravens another option at a position that needed help after Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar left this offseason. Mark Andrews remained on the roster, and Baltimore also added Durham Smythe, but Hibner adds a different profile after showing he can be an accomplished pass catcher at SMU.
That is a marked shift from his early college role. During four seasons at Michigan, Hibner had just two catches total and was mostly used on special teams before transferring and expanding his production at SMU.
For Baltimore, the trade cost was modest and the need was clear. The Ravens gave up a future sixth-round pick to get into the fourth round and secure a tight end who finally showed more of what he can do with the ball in his hands.
The question now is how quickly Hibner can turn that late-round opportunity into a role in a tight end group that already includes Andrews and Smythe. The pick is a bet that his pass-catching growth at SMU can translate in Baltimore.