Noah Fant, Iowa, Center
If you’ve heard anything about Noah Fant this off-season, odds are you knew he was going to test well at the combine. These were his times and numbers from Saturday:
40 Yard Dash: 4.50
Vertical Jump: 39.5 inches
Broad Jump: 10’7″
3 Cone Drill: 6.81 seconds
20 yard shuttle: 4.22 seconds
While we were expecting him to perform well, this was nothing short of a masterpiece, especially considering how some other tight ends performed. (I will be talking about some tight ends who didn’t perform well today further in the article)
Fant’s blocking ability doesn’t pale in comparison to his teammate Hockensen, but a team seeing his athleticism and sure hands will want to pull the trigger on him as early as the Top 15. Fant is more valuable than a red zone threat like Jimmy Graham and is more athletic than is popular comparison Eric Ebron.
Fant’s film showed he was a first round caliber tight end and now the Combine locked his spot. Teams know exactly what they are getting with Fant so expect him to go earlier than later.
Noah Fant may be one of those players who’s a better professional than he was in college. His skills clearly translate and makes him the idea high floor – high ceiling player every team wants in the first round.