The Broncos made tight end Noah Fant the 20th overall pick of the 2019 draft with the hope that he’d give their passing game high-level production.
Fant has caught 102 passes for 1,235 yards and six touchdowns through his first two seasons. Those numbers are solid, but not at the level of the league’s best tight ends.
On Thursday, Fant told reporters that he wants “to be competing with” Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Darren Waller because his “ultimate goal is to be the best in the league.” He also identified what he thinks he needs to make a leap in his third NFL season.
“If I can play that consistent and get those catches, make those blocks [and do] all that consistently throughout the season and do that all year long and be at my highest level of play, the sky is the limit,” Fant said, via the team’s website. “Consistency is a big word I’ve been focusing on this year. I’m starting to figure things out, starting to be more knowledgeable about the game and starting to get those vet aspects to what I’m doing. Now, it’s just consistency. Consistently being at the top level of play amongst the league. I’m not just competing with myself. I’m competing with every tight end across the league. There’s some good ones, so I have to step up to that level.”
Fant plans to attend the tight end summit that Kelce and Kittle have helped organize as part of his push to reach the next level and making that progress would be a big help to Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater or anyone else that winds up quarterbacking the team in 2021.