20/20: Noah Fant

Noah Ballweg

Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we will be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2019 by giving you 20 facts you must know.

1.) Player Name – Noah Fant

2.) College – Iowa

3.) Height/Weight – 6’5”, 235 lbs

4.) Birthdate – 09/20/1997 (21 years old)

5.) Class – Junior

6.) Basic college stats – 

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

screen shot 2019 02 12 at 11.14.47

Stats from sports-reference.com.

7.) NFL draft projection – As arguably the top tight end prospect entering the 2019 draft class, and the large need at the position for many NFL teams, expect Fant to be a mid-late first round pick in this year’s draft. There are just a handful of prospects at the position and Fant excels above and beyond the rest and could be a rare talent.

With his size and speed that he will display at the Combine, expect a lot of buzz to surround his name as the draft gets closer.

8.) Current NFL comparison –  Fant isn’t just an NFL-caliber tight end, but he also has the true potential to be a breakout star his rookie season and have multiple Pro Bowl appearances throughout his career. It is rare to have prospect of his size and athleticism available with such high need.

A former basketball player, I see Fant like Eric Ebron and I could see him soaring as high as Antonio Gates. They are both huge red zone threats, and Fant is a true receiving tight end who will similarly change the offense of a team.

9.) Best possible destination – This would be a long shot and unlikely to happen, but if Fant were to land in Green Bay with the 12th pick overall, I think he could easily put up TE1 numbers with Rodgers at the helm. He has all of the intangibles that the Packers front office has been trying to bring into the offense since Jermichael Finley departed.

While this would be a dream for Packers fans, Green Bay have plenty of other positions they will address. That said, I would expect Fant to fall to the 15th, 19th or 23rd pick with Miami, Tennessee or Houston where he could fit into systems utilizing the tight end and all in need of a consistent downfield threat.

10.) Worst possible destination – While much of the research I have done on the 2019 NFL draft has the Pittsburgh Steelers maybe taking a shot at Fant late in the first round, I really don’t see this being a fit given the multiple TE sets that the Steelers deploy and the already solid duo of Vance McDonald and Jesse James. With the uncertainty of the future of the Steelers moving forward, I would hate to see such talent be lost in a lot of turnover at the wide receiver and quarterback positions.

You could also make a case for the Atlanta Falcons who have a “good” but not great tight end in Austin Hooper. Fant would fit into the system, but I foresee Hooper and Fant actually hurting each other in fantasy.

11.) Best current skill – Athleticism. Fant competed in The Opening and almost was the top finisher in all five categories among tight ends. This is what sets him apart from the rest of the 2019 draft class. Iowa is heralded “tight end U” but no one has come close to touching Dallas Clark’s records set from 1999-2002. That was until Fant come onto the scene at Iowa. Because of his rare athleticism and great hands, he has a unique ability to turn short yardage plays into touchdowns. His speed and strength when carrying the ball is among the best and he should have no trouble finding the end zone right away in 2019.

12.) Skill that needs to be improved – Pass blocking. With Fant’s 6’5” frame, you wouldn’t expect this to be one of his weaknesses, but unfortunately, it is probably the biggest thing he needs to work on. This could limit Fant’s availability in certain sets and formations on the field, where coaches will insert a more reliable blocker instead. If he can continue to build strength and work on his run blocking technique he should be fine, but teams will be able to scheme around him if he is on the bench.

13.) Past/current rookie ADP – With February’s ADP data being recently released, we now have a very good early sample size of where dynasty owners are valuing Fant. He currently has an ADP of 12.30, meaning he is right on the cusp of a late first round to early second round draft pick. I saw him going as early as the eighth or ninth pick, but also as low as the 17th. We’ll continue to monitor his ADP, given his athleticism and needed value, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him jump up after the Combine.

14.) Projected dynasty value – One player Fant has been compared to based on athleticism is Evan Engram. Engram’s ADP began at a 127, with owners taking him somewhere in the tenth or 11th rounds.

For Fant, I wouldn’t be surprised to see his initial numbers starting off in the mid 90’s and climbing into the mid 80’s by the time June rolls around. Given the specific need for the tight end position and with the decline of some significant veteran tight ends, Fant is one player you may have to reach for in order to get in your dynasty leagues.

15.) Recruiting profile – As a recruit coming out of Omaha, Nebraska, Fant was only a three-star recruit and held offers from just 12 schools before signing his letter of intent at the University of Iowa. He ran a 4.64-second 40-yard dash coming out of high school and I am very excited to see that number down to a high 4.5 in the Combine. As a former basketball player in high school, there is no question about his mobility and athleticism translating onto the field.

16.) The big three? – With the dire need for tight ends currently in the NFL, many are projecting that as many as three tight ends could be selected in the first two rounds of the 2019 draft. Fant’s former teammate T.J. Hockenson was the Mackey Award winner of the 2018-2019 season and will make an immediate impact for a team. Irv Smith Jr. out of the University of Alabama is another tight end prospect who will most likely be the third tight end taken in the draft. Smith Jr. has tremendous size and potential to be an integral part of an offense based on his versatility at Alabama.

17.) City of brotherly love – Believe it or not, Noah’s older brother – Chris Fant – was the head football coach of Omaha South during Fant’s playing days. Noah broke the school record for receptions and touchdowns for both a season and a career and credits much of his success to the way his older brother Chris pushed him to become the best player he could be.

18.) Stickum Spray – Fant is a home run threat every time he has the ball. However, sometimes making sure he keeps the ball in his hands is the biggest problem he’s faced. He has great hands, but one thing scouts have noticed is that often Fant will attempt to trap the ball against his body or shoulder pads first, rather than reaching out with his hands to catch the ball.

We saw this time and time again with Iowa where Fant would be unable to reel in short yardage catches due to it bouncing off his body.

19.) Touchdown machine – Fant caught just around 80 passes in his three-year career at Iowa. He also caught 19 touchdowns out of those 80 passes. That is an average of one touchdown to about every four or five passes caught. Even with the Mackey Award winner as his teammate, Fant is clearly used as a pure scorer within an offense and he knows how to find the end zone, something that dynasty owners are going to love.

20.) It all comes down to the Combine – As stated previously, there are three great tight ends available to NFL teams, especially the needy ones. When it comes time for the Combine, all eyes will be on Fant, Smith Jr. and Hockenson who will arguably be competing to be the first tight end off the board with the first round bonus money.

When looking at each prospect from an athletic standpoint, I think Fant will blow the two competitors out of the water. It will then come down to the interviews, system fits and the film for owners to make a decision of which tight end to select first.

[/am4show]