Broncos add a weapon to their offense in the first round

After trading the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Denver Broncos had to wait a while to make their first selection on Thursday night. But when they were finally on the clock at No. 20, John Elway showed that he’s looking to upgrade his team’s offense by picking Iowa’s Noah Fant.

After being torched by the likes of Travis Kelce and George Kittle, the Broncos showed that they want to be a part of the new trend of pass-catching tight ends in the NFL. Growing impatient waiting for recent selections such as Jeff Heuerman or Jake Butt to fill the role, Elway spent a first-round pick on a big-time option for new quarterback Joe Flacco.

Fant certainly has the ability to give the Broncos a pass-catching threat at tight end that they haven’t seen since Julius Thomas left via free agency after the 2014 season. At least that’s what the draftniks seem to think.

Here’s what CBS Sports had to say about Fant:

“Springy, fast and elusive seam-stretching tight end with receiver-like pass-catching skills. Experience and flashes of consistency in-line as a blocker. The team that drafts him will be doing so mostly on his plus ability to boost the passing game.”

And NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein heaped even more praise on the newest Bronco:

“Pass-catching tight end with the length, acceleration and speed to create match-up challenges both short and long. Fant is at his best in open space and on the move as his catch-focus appears to wane when coverage crowds him or he hears footsteps. He needs to get stronger and more competitive at the point of attack to help a run game, but if that never happens, his ability to uncover and hit big plays will still make him a coveted prize for teams ready to add a move tight end as their new match-up toy.”

Will Noah Fant ultimately turn into the next star player to don the orange and blue? Time will tell, but the so-called experts certainly like his chances of becoming a big-time player in Denver.