NFL Draft 2019 Denver Broncos take Noah Fant with the 20th Pick
After trading down to the 20th pick, the Denver Broncos have selected a tight end out of Iowa, Denver selects again with the 41st pick.
The Denver Broncos how have Noah Fant to add to their tight end ranks. Fant, a big, athletic target from the Iowa Hawkeyes will have an opportunity to slide immediately into a starting role, depending on the health of Jake Butt.
Fant was the second-rated tight end in the draft on most people’s boards though he was seen as a significant dropoff from T.J. Hockenson, taken eighth by the Detroit Lions.
Butt, the presumed incumbent is similar in size to Fant but has a much different game. The towering bruiser is a possession guy while Fant is a playmaker.
Fant’s bio lists a general physical toughness as a possible weakness to his game, it says he can be taken off his routes and have his concentration tested with contact. It also says he has the speed and moves to make huge gains after the catch. Kind of reminds of Demaryius Thomas but with a tight end’s size and blocking ability.
Fant is an exciting pick for the Broncos, they were fortunate that he was available with the 20th pick, some had him on their radar when they still held the number ten pick.
The only problem, as mentioned previously is that Fant does nothing to address the heart of the Denver Broncos deficiency.
Quarterback.
They were rumored to be very interested in Missouri QB Drew Lock. The Broncos had Dwayne Haskins in for a pre-draft visit. As of this writing, with just seven picks remaining in the first round, Lock is still on the board. That the Broncos didn’t select Lock at 10 and then again at 20 should be all the information needed on intentions with regards to Lock.
So, it remains to be seen how Denver GM John Elway plans to fill holes at linebacker and cornerback or how he’ll handle the Chris Harris Jr. situation. What’s apparent is that the Joe Flacco addition was not a ruse, it’s truly Elway’s plan for the near future of the Denver Broncos.
Round two and three of the Draft are on Friday, starting at 7:00 PM Mountain Time. Denver holds the 41st pick and the 52nd pick (acquired in trade from Pittsburgh) in the second round, a good opportunity for the Broncos to address needs.