2019 NFL Draft: Scouting Iowa tight end Noah Fant

One prospect who had a pre-draft visit with the Broncos and could be taken in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft is former Iowa tight end Noah Fant.

He is a 6-foot-4, 249-pount tight end who is considered one of, if not the best, tight end in the entire 2019 NFL Draft. He is ranked as the top tight end in the draft according to The Draft Network and is ranked as its 7th best overall prospect in the 2019 field.

NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Fant ranked as his 15th best prospect in the draft in his latest top 50 board.

Fant has a tall, athletic frame (6-4, 249 pounds) and exceptional explosiveness. He moved around in the Iowa scheme, putting his hand in the dirt, splitting out wide or aligning in the wing. He explodes off the line of scrimmage and is a very fluid route runner. He creates a lot of separation and tracks the ball easily over his shoulder. Fant isn’t as effective when he’s working underneath. He lacks polish and drops some easy balls. He also has a bad habit of unnecessarily jumping for balls that are put on his frame. After the catch, he uses his speed to pull away from defenders. He is a shield blocker in the run game, lacking tenacity and physicality in that department. Overall, Fant is a special athlete who is at his best working vertically. He has some shortcomings in other areas, but he’ll be a big-play producer right away for his drafting team.

Fant played a total of three seasons at Iowa and was a productive tight end during that time. During his three-year career at Iowa, Fant totaled 78 receptions for 1,083 yards, and 19 touchdowns. This past year, he totaled 39 receptions for 519 yards, and 7 touchdowns.

Here are Noah Fant’s 2018 accolades via Hawkeyesports.com.

• First-team All-Big Ten by league coaches and second team by league media
• Second-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele
• Third-team All-America by The Associated Press
• Second-team All-Big Ten by Associated Press
• One of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award
• Named John Mackey Award Co-Player of the Week (with Iowa teammate T.J. Hockenson) for his play at Indiana
• John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List
• Preseason first-team All-America by NFLDraftScouts.com, Athlon Sports and Sporting News
• Preseason first-team All-Big Ten by Athlon Sports

Noah Fant

Tight End | Junior | Iowa

Height: 6’4” | Weight: 249lbs | 40-time: 4.5 seconds

Arm length: 33 1/2” | Hands: 9 3/4”

Bench press: 20 reps | Vertical Jump: 39.5 inches | Broad Jump: 127.0 inches

3-Cone Drill: 6.81 seconds | 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.22 seconds | 60-Yard Shuttle: 11.49 seconds

Film Room:

Scouting Report:

Strengths:

• Excellent athletic ability
• Athletic background in track and basketball
• Smooth and rangy athlete with good body control
• Has desired size teams look for in a tight end
• Soft hands
• Good route runner with a diverse route tree
• Can line up outside, in the slot, inline, and in the backfield
• Jumped nearly 40 inches at the Combine so he has leaping ability
• Plays like like an athletic wide receiver but at 249lbs
• Special YAC ability
• Dangerous in space
• Mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses
• Red zone weapon

Weaknesses:

• Smaller frame than your traditional tight end
• Functional strength could be better
• Not known for his blocking skills

Noah Fant’s spider graph:

Quotable:

The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs on Noah Fant.

“Noah Fant has the physical skills and receiving chops to be the next big thing at the TE position in the NFL. The league has never been friendlier to flex targets and Fant runs like a receiver and leaps like a basketball pro. Fant is a nightmare in space and will excel in a vertical passing offense that can implement him in the middle of the field. With soft hands and elite athletic ability, Fant should be a volume target at the NFL level and will have an impact fairly early into his pro career.”

Does Noah Fant make sense for the Broncos in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft?

He would be an excellent fit for the Broncos and any team for that matter.

Listen, you’re not drafting Noah Fant to block. You’re drafting him to be a mismatch problem in the passing game and that is exactly what he is. You can draft a blocker in the late rounds, but Fant has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation talent.

With newly hired Rich Scangarello running the offense and bringing Kyle Shanahan’s offense with him, the tight end figures to become a focus in the passing game. Look at what George Kittle is doing in San Francisco right now. Get a player like Fant in that offense and it will give the Broncos a weapon at tight end that they have lacked for quite awhile(excluding Peyton Manning made Julius Thomas).

I know many of you would be against a tight end at 10th overall, but I think Fant(Hock too) are worthy of that selection. Add in their talent and the tight end position becoming more important for the Broncos and it makes sense.