NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Detroit Lions are hosting one of the top tight ends in the 2019 Draft class, Noah Fant of Iowa.
A Full QIB qualifier at both tight end and wide receiver — incredibly impressive at 6-4, 249-pounds — Fant is an intriguing option for the Lions as he has the potential to be a matchup nightmare in the slot, filling one of the teams most glaring needs.
Fant also met with the Lions at the Combine, where his fantastic performance, all but guaranteed him a spot on Day 1 of the draft. But if history tells us anything about tight ends, it’s that the league doesn’t value them in the top-10, and with the Lions picking at No. 8, a Lions-Fant marriage would likely come down to a scenario where they trade back.
Maybe not so ironically, this matches up very well with MMQB’s Albert Breer’s report this morning that the Lions are aggressively trying to trade down in the first round.
Regardless of how it happens, this visit indicates the Lions could very well be interested in giving offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell a Jimmy Graham-like weapon that he previously had in Seattle.
To get an idea of his range to line up all over the field, check out the video clips below to see him score touchdowns from an in-breaking route from the slot, a vertical seam from the slot, an outside vertical from an initial inline position and on a crossing route after pre-snap motion. In the final clip, he breaks out for a big gain on a bubble screen.
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