What is the Denver Broncos plan for Noah Fant?
The Denver Broncos selected tight end Noah Fant in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. What exactly is their plan on using him?
There have not been many reliable tight ends in Denver since Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. The Broncos are hopeful that first-round draft pick Noah Fant can change that.
Fant is expected to stretch the field for the Broncos and be a reliable pass catcher. In three years at Iowa, Fant averaged 13.9 yards per reception.
The thing that I expect the Broncos to take advantage of is Fant’s speed. He ran the 40-yard dash at a 4.5-second speed, which is amazing for a tight end his size.
What more proof do you need? This is something the Broncos could really benefit from.
Joe Flacco is a big fan of throwing to his tight ends. Now he has an extra weapon, along with Troy Fumagalli, Jake Butt, and Jeff Heuerman (assuming those three make the roster).
Denver’s tight end group has had some injury history. Maybe Fant is the guy that will be able to stay on the field and produce.
Fant is also an underappreciated blocker:
The Broncos gave up 34 sacks in 2018. Having Fant on the field on passing downs does not always mean he is going to go stretch the field. He may simply stay in to block defenders from trying to get to quarterback Joe Flacco.
Fant’s ability to block will not only benefit Flacco, however. Blocking is especially important in the run game. Running back Phillip Lindsay rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season in 2018 under a questionable offensive line. Just think what he could do with Fant blocking for him on the outside.
In all honesty, Fant can do it all. He will have to work his way to becoming the best player he can be. He will have to climb his way up the depth chart. But I do not think that he will have a difficult time doing so.
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With his size and speed, Fant should be an excellent red zone threat, something the Broncos are in need of.
I truly believe that the Denver Broncos got a fantastic player with the 20th overall pick.