Chiefs draft profile: Ted Hurst is quietly climbing draft boards after Senior Bowl

All-Star events like the Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl mark the beginning of a draft journey for many prospects. For us fans, it's a nice opportunity to kick off draft season and get a closer look at prospects. However, for players like Ted Hurst coming from Georgia State, it's a chance to showcase their skills against top competition. Strong Senior Bowl weeks have recently propelled smaller players like Grey Zabel and Quinyon Mitchell into first-round picks on Super Bowl teams.

The Kansas City Chiefs are headed into a pivotal offseason with more questions than answers. They only have six draft picks (though high in the draft) and are more over the projected cap than any other NFL team. If the Chiefs are going to thread the needle back to being a Super Bowl contender this offseason, they'll have to hit on some late-round picks at premium positions.

With JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Hollywood Brown hitting the open market this season, the Chiefs need to improve at the skill positions. The likelihood of drafting a receiver seems fairly high in the 2026 draft. There's a wealth of Day 2 receivers in this class, despite the top end of the class not being spectacular. The Chiefs might be better off focusing on the top talent at the top end of the draft rather than reaching for a receiver.

To keep close tabs on the 2026 NFL Draft and the top prospects for the Kansas City Chiefs, make sure to bookmark our Arrowhead Addict Big Board. Our custom big board is tailored toward the Chiefs’ needs and thresholds.

NFL Draft Profile: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

Height: 6-3 (verified)

Weight: 207 LBS. (verified)

Hand: 9.58 inch (verified)

Arms: 33.28 (verified)

Tape Exposure: Memphis (2025), Costal Carolina (2025), Murray State (2025)

Shades of: Tyquan Thornton (Chiefs version)

Ted Hurst's background

Hurst attended Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah, Georgia, where he also played high school basketball. As a zero-star recruit out of high school, he committed to play at Valdosta State. Hurst spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Valdosta State, where he totaled 60 catches for 1,027 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Following the 2023 campaign, Hurst entered the transfer portal and moved to Georgia State. In 2024, he emerged as the team’s top target with 56 receptions for 961 yards and a school-record nine touchdowns, then led the team again as a senior in 2025 with 71 catches for 1,004 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Hurst was recently highlighted in Todd McShay's newsletter for his performance at the Senior Bowl, mentioning he was the second-fastest player on GPS tracking, clocked at 20.33 MPH on the field.

Ted Hurst's strengths

Vertical Stretch

Hurst is a real weapon down the field. He has above-average long speed, tracks the ball well, and his long frame and long arms give him a plus catch radius. His 61.1% contested catch rate ranks in the 90th percentile of FBS receivers.

Frame

At a verified 6-3 and 207 lbs., he displays a size and skill set that allow him to remain on the outside at the next level.

Multi-deminsional threat

His size and speed make him a yards-after-catch weapon. He's strong enough at the catch point to thrive over the middle of the field, and his speed and ball tracking make him a weapon down the field.

Ted Hurst's weaknesses

Zone Coverage

He hasn't shown a regular ability to find and sit in the soft spots in zone coverage. He displays a nice skill set against man coverage at the line of scrimmage but isn't natural as a route runner in zone.

Level of Competetion

While Hurst showed out at the Senior Bowl, there are still some questions about him at the NFL level. Though he had strong performances against some larger programs such as Memphis, one catch for six yards against Ole Miss sticks out in his senior year.

Yards after Catch

He's not overly creative after the catch. The acceleration to his top speed isn't a plus skill set for him. Most of his broken tackles come from poor tackling angles.

Why Ted Hurst is a perfect fit for the Chiefs

Between now and draft day, you can expect a heavy dose of Carnell Tate to the Chiefs in mock drafts. He brings many similar traits, with vertical stretch ability, plus speed, and strong contested catch ability, along with the polish that comes with an Ohio State wide receiver competing on the biggest stage. Ted Hurst might be 80 percent of Carnell Tate, but taken two to three rounds later. The Chiefs can plug a true X receiver into their current wide receiver corps and find instant work for that skill set.

Ted Hurst is a prototypical boundary X with the size to shield defenders and win on in-breakers. He has a large catch radius, strong body control, and ball skills, along with above-average long speed. He needs to improve against press coverage and in YAC elusiveness.

Round Grade: Red Chip (Third-round grade)