I’m not giving up on Noah Fant yet. I think there’s some talent there, with the potential that it will come out in his fourth season.

Fant, I think, has been undermined by suspect quarterbacking and unimaginative game plans. Way too often last year, I saw him catching dumpoff-type balls around the line of scrimmage. As one of the more mobile tight ends, I would have thought they more often would get him trucking downfield, trying to get him the ball on chunk plays. I would think he’s a mismatch guy against a lot of linebackers (that’s why they picked him in the first round, right?).

Fant showed some of that as a rookie, when he averaged 14.1 yards per catch. He averaged only 9.9 yards per catch last year (and 10.9 the previous year).

The Broncos will have a new quarterback, and that player is yet to be revealed (if it’s Aaron Rodgers, he doesn’t have a strong history of working with tight ends). But whomever it is, it should be an upgrade over Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.

Despite playing for modest teams, Fant has shown ability to get downfield. Over the last three years, only 25 tight ends have caught at least 10 touchdown passes, and only one of those guys (another former Iowa player) has averaged more yards on his touchdown catches.

If we’ve drafting today, I would think Fant would go somewhere in the second 10 players at his position.

TIGHT END TOUCHDOWN DISTANCES (2019-21)
Player'21TDAvg
George KittleS.F.1321.2
Noah FantDen.1017.5
Jared CookLAC2017.1
Hayden HurstAtl.1116.8
Robert TonyanG.B.1415.1
Dawson KnoxBuff.1413.4
Dallas GoedertPhil.1213.4
Foster MoreauL.V.1012.8
Darren FellsHou.1112.7
Mark AndrewsBalt.2612.6
Dalton SchultzDall.1212.5
Rob GronkowskiT.B.1312.2
Travis KelceK.C.2512.2
Mike GesickiMia.1312.2
Darren WallerL.V.1411.9
Logan ThomasWas.109.1
Jonnu SmithN.E.129.0
Jack DoyleInd.108.6
Zach ErtzPhi-Az.128.5
Jimmy GrahamChi.148.4
Hunter HenryN.E.188.3
Tyler HigbeeLAR137.4
T.J. HockensonDet.127.3
Austin HooperCle.135.4
Cameron BrateT.B.105.3

—Ian Allan