Perhaps no tight end in the 2019 draft class has as much upside as Noah Fant, and the former Iowa Hawkeyes standout certainly showed off his athleticism at the NFL Combine.
Though it may be presumptuous to lock in Noah Fant as a first-round pick in this year’s draft, he is, at the very least, almost guaranteed to hear his name called by the time the second round ends. Fant only boosted his meteoric stock with an excellent NFL Combine performance, showing fans and scouts alike why he’s one of this year’s biggest athletic freaks.
D.K. Metcalf stole the show at this year’s Combine with a sensational 40-yard dash, bench press, and vertical jump, but Fant should also be listed as one of the event’s biggest winners.
The former Iowa tight end ran a blistering 4.50 forty-yard dash, which is a mark that would have bested a few notable wide receiver prospects, including likely second-round pick N’Keal Harris. Needless to say, Fant was the fastest tight end at the Combine by a cool .06 seconds, with he and UCLA’s Caleb Wilson being the only players at the position run a sub-4.60s forty.
Fant never caught 40 passes in a single season at Iowa, but the explosive pass-catcher had a real nose for the end zone, converting a whopping 19 touchdowns on just 78 career receptions. He finished his collegiate career averaging nearly 14.0 yards per reception, which is quite the mark for a tight end.
Despite the lack of production in college, Fant is an NFL Draft darling, and his 40 time only makes him an even more appealing process. Throw in his 20 reps on the bench press, which ranked sixth at the position, and it’s clear why Fant is touted so highly. And the picture only becomes clearer when considering that Fant led all tight ends in the vertical jump (39.5) and broad jump (127.0).
Of course, Fant did struggle in other aspects. He had the worst three-cone drill and 60-yard dash, as well as the third-lowest mark in the 20-yard dash. But those drills aren’t weighed as heavily as the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump, which are seen as the best markers of straight-line speed, strength, and athleticism; Fant’s relative lack of athleticism at the tight end position probably won’t worry NFL evaluators bullish on his other desirable traits.
Fant and fellow Iowa standout T.J. Hockensen are locked in as the top tight end prospects in the draft, but it was Fant who grabbed headlines at the position at this year’s Combine. That makes him the more likely of the two to be drafted in the first round, with one executive likening Fant to current New York Giants second-year standout Evan Engram (via Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller).
There’s no doubt that Fant is a name to watch as the pre-draft process rolls onward, and only a handful of prospects will have helped themselves more at this year’s Combine. While Fant was always expected to test well, the touchdown-machine truly did test on a “freakish” level. Time will tell if this Combine display will turn him into a first-round pick.