Broncos pick freak tight end with first-round pick

The Denver Broncos selected Iowa tight end Noah Fant with the 20th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Fant was first-team All-Big Ten and a Preseason First Team All-American this season. The Broncos are not scheduled to make another pick until Friday night when they have the ninth pick in the second round.

Fant played three seasons at Iowa and totaled 1083 yards and 19 touchdowns on 78 catches. He nearly averaged a touchdown per every four catches, and he led the Big Ten in touchdown catches in 2017.

In 2018, sophomore T.J. Hockenson, the eighth-overall pick by the Lions, overshadowed Fant at Iowa. Hockenson caught 49 balls for 760 yards and six touchdowns. Fant caught 39 for 519 and seven touchdowns.

Fant is athletic at 6-foot-4 and 249 pounds. His 40-yard dash time (4.50) seconds, vertical (39.5 inches), broad jump (127 inches) and 60-yard shuttle time (11.49 seconds) ranked first out of the 21 tight ends invited to the combine.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, who was rumored to be a favorite of John Elway, was still on the board when the Broncos made their pick. By picking Fant, Elway is offering quarterback Joe Flacco a vote of confidence. Flacco is known to target tight ends heavily.

Denver came into the with the 10th pick in the draft but traded it to the Steelers for the 20th pick – which was used on Fant – the 52nd pick and a 2020 third-rounder. The Steelers used the pick on athletic inside linebacker Devin Bush.

The Broncos still have eight picks remaining in the draft:

Round 2, Pick 9 (No. 41 overall)

Round 2, Pick 20 (52)

Round 3, Pick 7 (71)

Round 4, Pick 23 (125)

Round 5, Pick 10 (148)

Round 5, Pick 18 (156)

Round 6, Pick 9 (182)

Round 7, Pick 23 (237)