The Denver Broncos selected Iowa tight end Noah Fant with the 20th overall selection for one reason: to stretch the field. Fant, the latest in a long line of pass catches from “Tight End U” — along with No. 8 overall selection T.J. Hockenson — has drawn plenty of favorable comparisons.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 241 pounds, Fant is an excellent receiver and can play inside or outside. In his three years at Iowa, he put up 78 receptions for 1,082 yards along with 19 touchdowns. For those same reasons, Fant has been compared to another tight end with those same traits, who happens to be coming off a career year — Eric Ebron.
Fant's bio on NFL.com elaborates:
“Fant is at his best in open space and on the move as his catch-focus appears to wane when coverage crowds him or he hears footsteps. He needs to get stronger and more competitive at the point of attack to help a run game, but if that never happens, his ability to uncover and hit big plays will still make him a coveted prize for teams ready to add a move tight end as their new matchup toy.”
Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco has been friendly to tight ends in the past, and his best statistical seasons were with former Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta. Ebron experienced an explosion in production with Colts quarterback Andrew Luck in 2018, catching 66 balls for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Fant shares many of the same traits that allowed Ebron to become a red-zone threat in Indy, and will be deployed in an offense that turned George Kittle into a premier tight end in the league.
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