Noah Fant To Wear No. 87 With Broncos
By Zack Kelberman
DENVER (247 SPORTS) - The No. 20 overall draft pick will don his college digits as a pro. New Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant, who held his introductory press conference Friday, announced that he's wearing No. 87 — his number at Iowa — in Denver.
Fant will become the 17th player in franchise history to suit up with No. 87, the first since former wide receiver Jordan Taylor, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this month. Another fan-favorite wideout, Eric Decker, also wore 87, as did Lionel Taylor and Rich Jackson.
Of course, the number is best associated with Broncos legend Ed McCaffrey, who wore it from 1995-2003.
Fant is the first Broncos tight end chosen in the first round since Reggie Johnson in 1991. He was a mismatch nightmare for the Hawkeyes, nabbing 78 receptions for 1,083 yards and 19 touchdowns across 30 career games. He was the second Iowa TE selected on Day 1, joining T.J. Hockenson (No. 8 to Detroit).
"To me, going into this draft, I wanted to go to the team that picked me, the team that wanted me, the team that I fit to their scheme, and the Denver Broncos is 100 percent that team," Fant said in a conference call Thursday night. "I'm super excited, and I couldn't have asked for a better team to pick me. I'm 100 percent OK with that. I still have full belief that I'm one of the best tight ends, and hopefully look to produce like that on the field for the Denver Broncos."
A field-stretching 6-foot-4, 250 pounds with 4.5 wheels, Fant impressed Denver's brass during his official pre-draft visit — so much so that he was specifically targeted after the club traded down from their tenth pick. He was higher on the big board than the likes of potential franchise quarterbacks (Drew Lock, Dwayne Haskins) and blue-chip defenders (Devin Bush).
"From 10 to 20, there are a lot of different twists," Elway said. "Any time you move back 10 slots, you never know exactly how it's going to fall out. We're excited that Noah ended up being there, and we stayed true to the board. We feel like we got great value moving back, and I think Noah's going to fit in very, very well. We're excited about it."
Fant, whose NFL comparisons include Aaron Hernandez and Jimmy Graham, will enter an open competition for TE1 duties, battling the MASH unit: Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt and Troy Fumagalli.
Even if he doesn't start, he'll be an immediate difference-maker for graybeard quarterback Joe Flacco, who historically has leaned on his safety blankets.
"I'm super hyped about it," Fant said. "Joe Flacco has been a Super Bowl quarterback. He's a legend. I'm super stoked to get in there and get to work."
