Playing in an offense led by Kyle Shanahan and Rich Scangarello last season, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle earned a Pro Bowl nod after hauling in 88 receptions for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns.
Scangarello is now the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator and he’ll be tasked with turning rookie tight end Noah Fant into the team’s own version of Kittle.
“I think obviously with the success that Kittle had in San Francisco with Rich being out there last year, speed tight ends can be very effective in his offense,” Broncos general manager John Elway said of Fant on Thursday evening. “He was a good fit for us.”
Fant, who ran a 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds at the combine, was a freshman at Iowa when Kittle was a senior. The ex-teammates have remained close and Kittle has helped coach up Fant.
“Obviously having George as a mentor to me, constantly speaking with him and him giving me advice is something that’s pretty special,” Fant said on Thursday evening. “Hopefully I can live up to the same things that he’s done in the NFL. That’s the goal.”
Fant and Kittle both draw praise for their ability as receiving tight ends but Denver coach Vic Fangio was quick to point out that the team’s new weapon will also be used as a blocker.
“He’s a competitive blocker also, which is part of his job description being a tight end,” Fangio said on Thursday evening. “We don’t feel that he’s just a ‘move’ tight end or an off-the-ball tight end. He can play on the line of scrimmage also. That was important to us also.”
The 6-4, 249-pound Fant may not put up Kittle numbers in 2018, but he certainly appears to be an upgrade over the tight ends currently on the Broncos’ roster. He’s the early favorite to emerge as the team’s No. 1 tight end for 2019.
