HEIGHT: 6-4

WEIGHT: 249

COLLEGE: Iowa

CLASS: Junior

2018 STATS: 39 receptions, 518 yards, 13.3 YPR, 7 TD (12 games)

CAREER STATS: 78 receptions, 1,082 yards, 13.9 YPR, 19 TD (30 games)

GAMES WATCHED (10): Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland (2018); Boston College, North Texas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa State, Ohio State, Michigan State (2017)

40	BENCH	VERT	BROAD	3CONE	20S	60S
4.50	20	39.5″	127″	6.81	4.22	11.49

HANDS (14/20)

• Hands are average — allows too many easy catches to slip through (11 drops on 80 catchable passes over the last two seasons, per PFF)
• Fairly natural hands catcher who extends arms and plucks the ball away from his frame
• Excellent body control allows for easy adjustment to off-target passes
• Uses body well to shield ball and “box out” defenders for contested grabs

ROUTE RUNNING/SEPARATION (16/20)

• Fairly diverse route tree — seams, drags, deep crossers, flats, hitches, swings
• Has shown the ability to get in and out route breaks quickly
• Occasionally loses attention to detail by rounding off routes, getting too upright in route breaks
• Shows some route running savvy with double move releases, shoulder/head fakes
• Has a knack for finding soft spots in zone coverage — knows where to “sit down” in zones
• Good hand fighting ability — can beat press coverage and create separation at the top of routes
• Releases quickly from the line of scrimmage

RUN AFTER CATCH (12/15)

• Instant acceleration and excellent top-end speed allow for substantial gains after the catch
• Doesn’t show much elusiveness in the open field
• Doesn’t break many tackles or gain many yards after contact

SPEED (15/15)

• Very fast for a tight end (4.50 40)
• Big-time deep threat/seam-ripper — outruns linebackers with ease and occasionally blows by safeties

AGILITY/CHANGE-OF-DIRECTION (10/10)

• Quick and fluid mover in all directions

BLOCKING (9/15)

• Connects on most blocks, but doesn’t sustain them for long or finish consistently
• Effort is good but technique and play strength are lacking — lunges into blocks and ducks head into contact; lacks anchor to hold up vs. edge rushers/blitzing linebackers

SIZE/PHYSICAL TRAITS (5/5)

• Good height for the position
• Long arms/large catch radius — 33 1/2″ arms
• Room to add weight/functional strength

OVERALL GRADE: 81.00/100.00 — 1ST ROUND — Rookie starter; top-15 player at position/Pro Bowl potential

NFL COMPARISON: Jared Cook

DRAFT PROJECTION: 1ST ROUND

“Noah Fant is my third-highest graded tight end prospect since 2014, trailing only O.J. Howard and former teammate T.J. Hockenson. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound playmaker’s receiving skills were severely underutilized at Iowa, much like Howard’s were at Alabama or George Kittle’s were at Iowa before him, but I believe that his traits will translate to major production at the NFL level if he’s utilized more frequently as a receiver. 

Fant is a dynamic receiving threat with solid hands, excellent body control, solid route running and good run after catch ability. He’s more of a mismatch piece at tight end that you can line up at h-back, slot or outside, but he has potential as an in-line tight end, too. Fant has elite receiving potential, but he’ll need to improve his play strength and technique in order to round out his game and become a complete player.” – Dan Wussow