Denver Broncos: John Elway says Noah Fant can run and stretch the field
The Denver Broncos took Iowa tight end Noah Fant in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. John Elway is confident in Fant’s ability to stretch the field.
The Denver Broncos were in need of a tight end and that’s the direction they went in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. With the selection of Iowa’s Noah Fant, general manager John Elway is happy with the selection.
He spoke about the Fant selection:
John Elway to the Broncos' website: “He’s a great athlete and he can really run and stretch that field. That’s what we’re seeing with today’s game with the tight ends. We got a guy that’s a legitimate tight end that can really catch the football downfield.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 26, 2019
In Fant’s three seasons at Iowa, he recorded 78 receptions for 1,082 yards (13.9 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns.
Jeff Heuerman led the Broncos tight ends last year with 31 receptions for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
Along with Heuerman and Fant, the Broncos have Troy Fumagalli, Jake Butt, and Temarrick Hemingway. The veteran of the group, Heuerman, is entering his fifth NFL season but durability has been a question throughout his time in the league.
Fant could be used heavily in the red zone.
At the NFL Combine, Fant ran the 40-yard dash at a tremendous 4.5-seconds. That is up there with some wide receivers and is a very nice time for tight ends.
Fant recorded 20 reps in the bench press during the NFL combine. Trevon Wesco led all tight ends with 24, while four others were second with 22.
The Denver Broncos have been searching for a great tight end for quite some time. They really haven’t had a great player at the position since Shannon Sharpe. One could argue about Julius Thomas, but you have to take into consideration the fact that he had Peyton Manning throwing him the football.
The selection of Fant is not only exciting for Broncos Country. It is especially exciting for quarterback Joe Flacco. Flacco likes to have the tight end position to throw to.
I can’t say this early if Fant is going to be the best tight end Joe Flacco has ever had to throw to, but the fact that he loves to utilize tight ends is a great sign for Fant and the Denver Broncos.
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Now, Denver has one less thing to worry about while they address other needs in the next two days and six rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.