Noah Fant
#2 Tight End by Football Addicts
Born: November 20th, 1997 (21 years old)
Height: 6’4
Weight: 241 Lbs
Position: Tight End
University: Iowa
About Noah
Iowa has produced a lot of NFL talent lately, but Noah Fant might be the best yet. The tight end started his journey in Omaha, Nebraska, where he would compete in football, basketball, long jump, triple jump, and sprints. Similarly to his partner Hockenson, Fant was only rated as a 3 star athlete, but was still the #1 recruit in the state of Nebraska. After committing to Iowa, Noah was tossed into the fire playing in 11 of the 13 games of his freshman year. Despite the playing time, he would be behind future Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle, only producing nine catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. With Kittle gone to the NFL, it was time for Noah to become the starting tight end for the Hawkeyes. Fant would triple his receptions (30) and lead the nation in receiving touchdowns with 11. That would also set an Iowa school record for most receiving touchdowns in a season. He would be named Third team All-Big Ten, and come back with an even stronger year in 2018. He caught 39 passes for 518 yards and seven touchdowns and was this time named First team All-Big Ten. After the 2018 season, there was a lot of talk about how Fant was being used in the Hawkeye offense. His brother tweeted out his frustrations and soon enough, Fant would declare for the NFL Draft. Whether he was used correctly or not at Iowa, I am very sure an NFL team can find a great use for his skill set at the next level.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
Running a 4.5 40, jumping nearly 40 inches, and had a broad jump of 10 ½ feet. Fant is one of the most athletic tight ends I have ever watched, and completely crushed the NFL combine. All that leads to a nightmare in the red-zone, and an immediate mismatch in coverage. In fact, he averaged a touchdown every 4 catches while he was at Iowa. For the rest of the field, Fant will still be a difficult match up for defenses. He shows a good burst off the snap, and gets moving quickly with his long strides.
Weaknesses
He is a little thin for the position, and that is where most of his issues stem from. If he added 15-20 pounds to his build, that would not just help him with inline blocking, but also make him a lot more durable for his career. Fant has dropped 14% of his catchable targets, and most of that has to due with his lack of focus, or at least break of focus, when catching the ball.
NFL Draft Projection/NFL Comp
NFL Draft Projection
Right behind his Hawkeye teammate, I have Noah Fant as my #2 tight end in the draft class. If the Cowboys had a first round pick, this would be exactly what they were looking for, but instead I have Fant slipping a few more picks. Rob Gronkowski is finally gone, and the Patriots will need a lot to replace him. If Fant is there with the 32nd pick, they must and most likely will select him. New England thrives in the red zone, and so does Noah Fant, which makes this one of the best selections in the 1st round in my opinion.
NFL Comparison
We could be looking at the most dangerous tight end in the NFL in a few years. With that being said, if Fant could put on a little more weight, I think his ceiling could be Jimmy Graham. Fant might be a little shorter, but he still brings the receiving upside, and can be a huge mismatch on the goal line. I also see him having a somewhat high floor, which is Eric Ebron. Ebron can still struggle with drops in the NFL, but was able to become a huge red zone threat for the Colts this year.