John Elway came into the 2019 NFL Draft looking for a quarterback in the first round. They got their quarterback in Drew Lock but just not in the first round. Instead, the Denver Broncos selected Noah Fant with the 20th overall pick.
So how did the Broncos end up drafting at number 20 when they had the 10th pick coming into the draft? They traded back 10 spots with the Pittsburgh Steelers who drafted Devin Bush out of Michigan.
In the end, the Broncos got a potential star at tight end in Fant and their possible future franchise quarterback in Lock. Not a bad draft for Elway and company for the second season in a row.
Fant was either the best or second best tight end on everyone's draft boards. He's going to be a phenomenal weapon for the offense and Joe Flacco.
Like the saying goes: a tight end is a quarterback's best friend. The good thing is, Fant can be used in a variety of positions—not just tight end.
Fant is an athletic freak playing the tight end position and he played alongside the first tight end taken in this year's draft in T.J. Hockenson. He's essentially a tight end with a mindset of a wide receiver.
The Broncos are hoping for big things for Fant in 2019.
Here are three bold predictions for Fant in his rookie season with the Broncos.
3. 60+ Receptions
In college, Fant spent three seasons at Iowa playing tight end. Although, he didn't really become a focal point of the offense until his last two seasons with the program.
In 2017 and 2018, Fant had 69 receptions combined. That number may not seem impressive but you have to consider he was playing as the second tight end on the roster behind Hockenson.
Now in Denver, there is no one that should threaten him for targets at the tight end position. Therefore, Fant should immediately become one of Flacco's main targets on the offense.
Fant's career-high in receptions at Iowa was 39 in 2018.
He will easily surpass that number by reeling in 60 or more receptions in 2019 with the Broncos.
2. 8+ Touchdowns
At Iowa, Fant was a scoring machine in the Hawkeyes passing attack. Hockenson and he were matchup nightmares for opposing defenses in college football.
Furthermore, Fant caught 18 touchdowns over the course of his last two seasons at Iowa. The Broncos will want to see that sort of production become a mainstay on the offense.
Flacco has always loved throwing to his tight ends over the course of his career. With the Baltimore Ravens, he always seemed to target guys like Todd Heap to the 50 tight ends that they currently have on the roster.
Things won't be different now that Denver landed themselves a guy like Fant who has the potential of being one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
Fant will make a huge statement in his rookie season by catching eight or more touchdowns.
1. Fant Will Have More Receptions than Hockenson
Again, T.J Hockenson (Fant's teammate at Iowa), was drafted ahead of Fant by the Detroit Lions at the eighth overall pick. Everyone knew Hockenson would likely be the first off of the board when it came to tight ends.
Most people also have Hockenson as the better player between the two. That discussion can be had another time but in 2019, Fant will outdo Hockenson in the receptions department.
Hockenson joins a Lions offense that is led by Matthew Stafford. Usually, a Stafford-led offense loves to chuck the ball around but in 2018, Detroit looked eager to run the ball more.
As a result, Stafford's passing attempts went down from 2017 to 2018. Those numbers could continue to go downward in hopes to become a more balanced offense.
Therefore, Fant could see more opportunities than Hockenson within his respective offense. This is strictly a bold prediction so don't take this as something that is one-hundred percent going to happen.
Fant will show people that he is going to be a problem for opposing defensive coordinators for years to come in Denver.
He will begin doing so by catching more passes than his former teammate, T.J. Hockenson in his rookie season.
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