Matthew
Hibner.
Matthew
Hibner.
SMU· 6'4"· 251 lb· 4.57s 40
R4 · #133 · Baltimore Ravens"Late-blooming Michigan-to-SMU Y/H hybrid whose 4.57 forty, 37-inch vertical and 28 bench reps at 251 turned a two-year starter into a Day-3 seam-and-in-line bet."Pre-draft read
Lines up as a flexed in-line Y and as a move piece in the slot or wing. Wins with hand technique, extending into defenders, resetting his frame on the run, and finishing to the whistle. Tracks the ball late over his shoulder on seams and corners, adjusts to off-target throws, and plucks with strong hands instead of trapping. Ball skills show up on contested downfield throws.
His release package versus press is functional but slow. The route tree stays vertical: seams, deep overs, corners, and play-action leaks. He is a long strider who eats cushion between the numbers but stiffens in tight-window breaks. He needs a runway to build to top speed.
Tight ends are asked to perform as both pass catchers and blockers in the Ravens' run-heavy RPO and play-action offense, making Matthew Hibner a potential fit in their scheme.
Rotational in-line blocker and seam threat in Year 1, with a ceiling as a starting Y/H hybrid whose blocking and vertical routes provide a strong play-action dimension.
Spread-to-pass offenses where his limited route tree and stiffness in short-area bursts would be exposed.
Hibner projects as a mid-round tight end whose athletic profile and functional in-line blocking align with the needs of a run-heavy, play-action-focused offense like the Ravens.
Matthew Hibner Highlights | Baltimore Ravens Tight End | SMU | 2026 NFL Draft
Full career reel — vertical wins, contested seams, in-line blocking and the 80-yard TD.
SMU TE Matthew Hibner | 2026 NFL Draft Tape
Cut-up of Hibner's 2024-25 tape at SMU with an emphasis on seam and play-action leak concepts.
SMU's Matthew Hibner Gallops 80 Yards To The House
Signature production moment — 80-yard touchdown vs Pitt in 2024 that put Hibner on Day-3 draft boards.
Matthew Hibner projects as a Y/H hybrid tight end, valued for his in-line size and testing-supported movement at 251 pounds, combined with a limited but effective vertical route tree. He offers the build and athleticism for a team looking to develop a rotational contributor, starting with his blocking and deep-seam ability.
Hibner emerged as a starter at SMU after transferring from Michigan, where he had minimal offensive production. At SMU, he posted 24 receptions for 368 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, followed by 31 receptions for 436 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, including an 80-yard score against Pitt. This production followed four years with only two catches at a national-championship program, providing a limited sample size as a primary pass-catcher.
Evaluators were concerned by his thin route tree and late-blooming production. His age was also flagged, as he arrived as a 24-year-old fifth-year player. Despite these concerns, his strong Combine athletic testing, including a 4.57 forty, positioned him as a legitimate Day-3 tight end, with boards placing him in the No. 200-260 range. He was ultimately drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round, 133rd overall.
- 01
Athletic Profile
Athletic profile pops with a 4.57 forty, 37-inch vertical, 9'8" broad, and 28 bench reps at 251 pounds.
- 02
Contested Catches
Operates on seams and corners, adjusting late to off-target throws with strong hands on back-shoulder work.
- 03
Effective Blocker
Effective down-blocker who extends and resets his hands, sustains through contact, and stays engaged through the full rep.
- 04
Vertical Routes
Vertical route menu of seams, deep overs, and glance concepts holds coverage safeties honest and stresses two-high looks.
- 05
Coachable Prospect
Coachable, low-mileage projection sat four years at Michigan, then started immediately as a fifth-year graduate at SMU.
- 01
Thin Route Tree
Route tree concentrated on verticals and play-action leaks; his short-to-intermediate menu is still a projection.
- 02
Late Production
Late-blooming production shows only one true starting season and two years of tape as a lead pass-catcher.
- 03
Second-Level Blocking
Second-level blocker whose feet lag his hands, leading to missed angles and vulnerability to rangy linebackers.
- 04
Release Package
Release package versus press suffers as a long-strider needing a runway, allowing jam-heavy corners to disrupt.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.57sp50
- Vertical
- 37inp50
- Broad jump
- 116inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 28repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Michigan | 13 | 2 | 15 | 0 |
| 2024 | SMU | 14 | 24 | 368 | 4 |
| 2025 | SMU | 13 | 31 | 436 | 4 |
| Career | — | 40 | 57 | 819 | 8 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Kevin JenningsQB31%
- Jordan HudsonWR12%
- Yamir KnightWR7%
#6 of 16 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.37 (p93) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Fifth-round Y with testing traits who settled into a rotational blocker and situational seam target — matches Hibner's Day-3 archetype.
Late-round in-line Ravens TE who carved a red-zone and blocking role on a stacked depth chart — Hibner's cleanest ceiling in the same building.
Late Day-3 TE who bounces between practice squad and TE3 duty; the fear if Hibner's route tree never expands past verticals.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context Matthew Hibner spent four seasons at Michigan without ever getting on the field in a meaningful way. He arrived in Ann Arbor as a three-star from Burke, Virginia, ranked outside the top 1,000 recruits in the country coming out of Lake Braddock, and by the time he was on scholarship the Wolverines already had a settled tight end depth chart in front of him. Hibner appeared in zero games as a true freshman in 2020, worked as a special-teamer in 2021, caught two passes across 2022 and 2023, and finished his Michigan career with two receptions for 15 yards on a national championship roster. He entered the transfer portal after 2023, chose SMU over more traditional destinations, and immediately started as the Mustangs' in-line tight end. In 2024 he caught 24 balls for 368 yards and four scores, including an 80-yard touchdown against Pitt that turned the film on. His 2025 senior season (31-436-4) was quieter statistically but tighter as a blocker, and Senior Bowl practice reps put him on the radar as a legitimate Day-3 evaluation.
NFL fit — Baltimore Ravens Baltimore drafted the size-and-speed bet in the fourth round because the Ravens have a specific template for developing tight ends behind their veteran starters and prefer players who match it. Hibner arrives in a room where playing time is earned in preseason and where the scheme uses two- and three-TE personnel enough to keep a fourth body busy on jumbo downs. His initial NFL usage projects as a rotational Y — in-line down-blocker on early downs, a red-zone body in condensed sets, and a spot seam target when defenses roll safeties to the starter. Special teams will decide his rookie roster hold. If the vertical package translates and his second-level blocking cleans up, the second-contract version becomes a real TE2. If the route tree stays two-note, he is a practice-squad body waiting for a call.
Retrospective The evaluation on Hibner will hinge less on college production and more on whether the athletic testing was real. The 4.57, the 37-inch vertical and the 28-rep bench at 251 pounds were legitimate for a mid-round TE, and Baltimore is one of the few buildings that has cashed those bets before. The floor was always low because the tape sample was thin; the ceiling depends on the Ravens' developmental track record more than on Hibner's own year-one reps.