The Denver Broncos certainly aren’t going to hit on 100 percent of their UDFAs, but Austin Fort has some intriguing skills worth developing.
The Denver Broncos have so much talent and potential at their tight end position, it’s easy for an undrafted free agent to go overlooked.
Even a guy the team really wanted to bring in.
The Broncos spent a first-round pick on Noah Fant but they were also excited to get Wyoming’s Austin Fort, a relatively unknown player for draft analysts who made an impression at the Broncos’ local pre-draft pro day.
Fort, according to this piece from the Casper Star Tribune, was getting calls from both the Denver Broncos and their rival Kansas City Chiefs in the mid-to-late rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Fort said the Chiefs made him feel like they just simply wanted him to come in for a look while the Broncos made him feel wanted.
"“When I did the local pro day there, I got to work with (tight ends) coach (Wade) Harman, and we sort of clicked right off the bat,” Fort said. “I felt comfortable in the building, and they made it clear that they wanted me there. The Chiefs were definitely really interested, but it was more of we can bring you in and see what you can do where the Broncos were kind of saying that we want you here.”Austin Fort, Casper Star Tribune"
Fort certainly doesn’t have an inside track to a roster spot or anything like that at this point. The Broncos have really good tight end depth if their guys can stay healthy with first-round pick Noah Fant coming in and Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt, and Troy Fumagalli all returning.
But Fort does have some special skills.
The Gillette native was originally recruited to Wyoming in 2013 to play the quarterback position, but that didn’t work out and he made his way out to a Community College in California. He came back to Wyoming as a walk-on tight end in 2016.
He put on some weight and came into the draft process at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, and he showed some nice pass catching abilities in a limited sample size.
Gillette's own @Austin__Fort with the touchdown catch to put Wyoming up 14-0 on New Mexico! #OneWyoming #GoWyo pic.twitter.com/wTZdkshqmU
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) October 29, 2017
His skills as a tight end may be a little bit rough around the edges, but his size and athleticism are really intriguing tools for a coach to work with.
At his height and weight, Fort ran a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash and had a 6.80 in the three-cone drill. Those numbers would have put him among the best at his position group had he been invited to the Scouting Combine, but 17 college catches will certainly put you behind the pack.
Despite having just 17 catches, four of them went for touchdowns and Fort certainly didn’t benefit from Josh Allen leaving for the NFL, even as inaccurate as Allen could be.
As of right now, Fort is penciled in as TE5 on a Broncos roster which currently has six total (Bug Howard is the other).
Who’s to say he isn’t going to play at all this season? The Broncos cycled through more than five guys last season, and you never know what’s going to happen.
It seems more likely than not that Fort’s track to the Broncos is going to go through the practice squad if they can get their top four guys to the regular season fully healthy.
If that’s the case, Fort’s greatest advantage is an early relationship with tight ends coach Wade Harman dating back to the pro day before the 2019 draft.
If the Broncos coveted Fort from that point forward, it stands to reason that he’s one of the favorites on this team to win a practice squad spot and we know the Broncos typically like to keep at least one tight end on their 10-man practice squad anyway.
The Broncos need to find ways to get their bottom-of-the-roster guys good looks in training camp and preseason play. Having Drew Lock and Brett Rypien as opposed to some of the other QBs this team has had in recent years should help in that regard.
It’s unfortunate to think about what could have been when you consider the ineptitude of the quarterback play in Denver. A player like Fort needs to get some live reps and opportunities in the red zone and after the catch to prove to this coaching staff he can be an asset.