Noah Fant Has Already Fulfilled One Dream; Is Medical School Next?
Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant has found a home in the NFL. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound tight end broke into the league in 2019 and served as a viable threat in the Broncos’ passing attack. Fant’s dream of playing in the NFL has already come true. According to an administrator back in Fant’s high school days, he is a very bright man, and she could see medical school in his future if he so desired.
Noah Fant’s football career
Noah Fant played three seasons of college football at Iowa. He finished his career with the Hawkeyes with 19 touchdowns and 1,083 receiving yards. Fant declared for the 2019 NFL draft after his junior season and was a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos. He was the 20th player taken.
Fant made an impact with the Broncos in his rookie season. He started in 11 games during his rookie season and was targeted 66 times during the year. Fant finished his rookie campaign with 40 catches for 562 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 14.1 yards per catch.
Fant is becoming more of a focal point in Denver’s passing game in 2020. Through three games, he has already been targeted 21 times. He has collected 14 catches for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Fant opening the eyes of Broncos fans and players
When the Denver Broncos selected Noah Fant with their top pick in 2019, there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement from Broncos fans. They weren’t jumping with excitement, nor were they furiously booing. Fant was simply one of those ho-hum picks. Things are turning around in Denver.
Fant has flashed his freakish athletic ability and has shown he has worked on his blocking skills in the offseason to make him a more complete player. “Any time you get a tight end that runs a 4.5, who can catch the ball the way he does and can run the routes the way he does, that’s so rare to come by in the league,” said fellow Broncos tight end Nick Vannett, according to ESPN. “I think last year he might have struggled a little bit blocking. I think this year he put on the weight, he took the offseason seriously. You can tell that this is his coming out party this year.”
With starting quarterback Drew Lock and top wide receiver Courtland Sutton both sidelined, Fant has been forced to become more involved with the offense. He’s capitalized on his speed and he has been a favorite of backup quarterback Jeff Driskel. “An unbelievable athlete,” Driskel said. “Dynamic with the ball in his hands … he’s kind of done it all for us this year.”
Is medical school next for Fant?
In addition to his size and athletic ability, Noah Fant is also a very smart guy. When he was in high school in Nebraska, he was a member of the University of Nebraska Medical Center High School Alliance, a health sciences enrichment program that provides high school juniors and seniors with the opportunity to observe, shadow, and work alongside health care professionals and researchers. Fant was a member during his senior year.
Heidi Kaschke, director of UNMC’s High School Alliance, remembers Fant very well. “He was very genuine, very smart, very humble,” she said, according to the UNMC Newsroom, “and he was always asking questions, always wanting to know more. He had always talked about either the NFL draft or medical school.”
Kaschke said she was very excited when Fant’s name was called during the 2019 NFL draft. She also believes Fant would be able to pull off a career in the medical field when his playing days are over. “Medical school is still always an option after his NFL career,” Kaschke said. “It’s been done before. And I certainly believe Noah could do it.”
