~ by Bob Volpe ~
The Broncos took their time deciding who to pick with their 1st round pick and thoughts ran wild that they might trade back to gain another second-round pick, and with 2:54 left on the clock they traded the
10th pick to the Steelers.
In exchange, the Broncos got the 20th first round pick and the 52nd overall pick in round two this year, as well as a 3rd round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Originally, the Broncos only had one pick in round two, the 9th pick of the round, but the trade gave them the 20th pick in round two also.
So, after all the trading and waiting, with 1:59 seconds left on the clock, the Broncos picked Iowa tight end, Noah Fant. Oh to have been a fly on the wall in the war room during those six minutes leading up to
this pick. Mike Klis, of 9-News, must have been that fly. He tweeted the Fant pick two minutes before the official pick was in.
After the Fant pick, Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio said, “He’s got the ability to get vertical and stretch the field and also run the underneath tree as a tight end. And I also think he can evolve into a good blocker. He has the potential to be an all-around, good tight end.”
In his first interview, Fant said, “I’m super excited to be a part of the team. I think I’ll be bringing a dynamic tight end to the offense that will stretch the seam for me and also block. I’m gonna block my
butt off.”
Broncos General Manager and President of Football Operations, John Elway had this to say about the Fant pick, “We’re thrilled with Noah.
He can stretch the field and he can really run. We got a legitimate tight end who can catch the ball downfield.”
Last year’s first-round pick Bradley Chubb loved the pick. He said, “I’m excited about it. He’s going to be a great weapon for our offense. We’ve got a guy like Joe Flacco who can air it out and a guy like Noah
Fant running a 4.5, 40-yard dash to go get that deep ball. We’re all going to gather around him and welcome him in with open arms.”
Joe Flacco has a history of favoring his tight end and this kid at 6’4” and 249 pounds is a perfect fit for Flacco. Having picked a tight end, the Broncos now have 6, yep 6, tight ends on the roster at this
time. With the history of injury to Bronco tight ends, this pick makes sense.
It’s going to be an interesting training camp this year at the tight end position. With Troy Fumagalli and Jake Butt coming off a serious injury, and number one tight end Jeff Heuerman coming off his best
season the competition is going to be fierce. The Broncos also have Brian Parker who had some critical catches last year and Temarrick Hemingway on the roster. Hemingway, a third-year player, spent his
first two years in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, appearing in eight games in 2016. He was signed to the Broncos active roster last year when Heuerman went down with broken ribs and a punctured lung
against the Steelers.
Immediately after the Fant pick, fans weighed in on Twitter and other social media. The majority of fans were outraged at Elway’s decision to trade down leaving the Steelers to take Michigan Linebacker, Devin
Bush with the 10th pick. Some fans called for Elway’s head on a pike.
Bush is a plug-and-play defensive player who will likely start right away. The Broncos are weak at middle linebacker and last year they finished 22nd in total defense, so Bush would have been the obvious
choice for their first pick. They weren’t much better on offense either, finishing 19th in total offense last year. Time will tell if Elway proves to be a genius or a dope with the Fant pick.
The Broncos open their season with an away game against the hated
Raiders on Monday Night Football, September 9 at 8:20 p.m. mountain time
