Perhaps the biggest question with the Broncos, if it's not second-year quarterback Drew Lock, is new coordinator Pat Shurmur. He's bounced around some in recent years, while Denver has had five different coordinators the last five years. Getting the most out of Noah Fant will be one of his goals.
So far, so good: Fant himself is optimistic. “I’d say my favorite thing is I’m moving around a lot and he’s using me in different places — I’ll be in the slot, I’ll be in-line, I’ll be outside as a receiver,” says Fant in a story at The Denver Post.
Fant, a first-round pick a year ago, had a fairly impressive rookie season. Especially in terms of big plays. Of his 40 receptions as a rookie, 10 of them went for at least 20 yards. That 25 percent rate was fewer than only two players at the position, Jared Cook and Blake Jarwin. Only Cook averaged more yards per catch.
| BIG PLAYS FROM TES (20-YARD RECEPTIONS) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lg | TD | 20+ | Pct |
| Jared Cook | NO | 43 | 705 | 16.4 | 61t | 9 | 15 | 34.9% |
| Blake Jarwin | DAL | 31 | 365 | 11.8 | 42t | 3 | 8 | 25.8% |
| Noah Fant | DEN | 40 | 562 | 14.0 | 75t | 3 | 10 | 25.0% |
| Mark Andrews | BAL | 64 | 852 | 13.3 | 51 | 10 | 16 | 25.0% |
| Dawson Knox | BUF | 28 | 388 | 13.9 | 49 | 2 | 7 | 25.0% |
| O.J. Howard | TB | 34 | 459 | 13.5 | 33 | 1 | 8 | 23.5% |
| Jonnu Smith | TEN | 35 | 439 | 12.5 | 57 | 3 | 8 | 22.9% |
| George Kittle | SF | 85 | 1053 | 12.4 | 61t | 5 | 16 | 18.8% |
| T.J. Hockenson | DET | 32 | 367 | 11.5 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 18.8% |
| Jimmy Graham | GB | 38 | 447 | 11.8 | 48 | 3 | 7 | 18.4% |
| Gerald Everett | LAR | 37 | 408 | 11.0 | 33 | 2 | 6 | 16.2% |
| Josh Hill | NO | 25 | 226 | 9.0 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 16.0% |
| Tyler Higbee | LAR | 69 | 734 | 10.6 | 33 | 3 | 11 | 15.9% |
| Darren Waller | OAK | 90 | 1145 | 12.7 | 75 | 3 | 14 | 15.6% |
| Hunter Henry | LAC | 55 | 652 | 11.9 | 30t | 5 | 8 | 14.5% |
| Irv Smith | MIN | 36 | 311 | 8.6 | 29 | 2 | 5 | 13.9% |
| Dallas Goedert | PHI | 58 | 607 | 10.5 | 28t | 5 | 8 | 13.8% |
| Mike Gesicki | MIA | 51 | 570 | 11.2 | 34 | 5 | 7 | 13.7% |
| Zach Ertz | PHI | 88 | 916 | 10.4 | 30 | 6 | 12 | 13.6% |
| Travis Kelce | KC | 97 | 1229 | 12.7 | 47 | 5 | 13 | 13.4% |
| Hayden Hurst | BAL | 30 | 349 | 11.6 | 61t | 2 | 4 | 13.3% |
| Will Dissly | SEA | 23 | 262 | 11.4 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 13.0% |
| Nick Boyle | BAL | 31 | 321 | 10.4 | 35 | 2 | 4 | 12.9% |
| Eric Ebron | IND | 31 | 375 | 12.1 | 48t | 3 | 4 | 12.9% |
| Ryan Griffin | NYJ | 34 | 320 | 9.4 | 45 | 5 | 4 | 11.8% |
| Greg Olsen | CAR | 52 | 597 | 11.5 | 41 | 2 | 6 | 11.5% |
| Jordan Akins | HOU | 36 | 418 | 11.6 | 53t | 2 | 4 | 11.1% |
| Austin Hooper | ATL | 75 | 787 | 10.5 | 35 | 6 | 8 | 10.7% |
| Kaden Smith | NYG | 31 | 268 | 8.6 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 9.7% |
| Tyler Eifert | CIN | 43 | 436 | 10.1 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 9.3% |
| Jack Doyle | IND | 43 | 448 | 10.4 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 9.3% |
| Evan Engram | NYG | 44 | 467 | 10.6 | 75t | 3 | 4 | 9.1% |
| Kyle Rudolph | MIN | 39 | 367 | 9.4 | 32t | 6 | 3 | 7.7% |
| Jeremy Sprinkle | WAS | 26 | 241 | 9.3 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 7.7% |
| C.J. Uzomah | CIN | 27 | 242 | 9.0 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 7.4% |
| Jacob Hollister | SEA | 41 | 349 | 8.5 | 22 | 3 | 3 | 7.3% |
| Darren Fells | HOU | 34 | 341 | 10.0 | 24 | 7 | 2 | 5.9% |
| Vance McDonald | PIT | 38 | 273 | 7.2 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 5.3% |
| Foster Moreau | OAK | 21 | 174 | 8.3 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 4.8% |
| Delanie Walker | TEN | 21 | 215 | 10.2 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 4.8% |
| Jason Witten | DAL | 63 | 529 | 8.4 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 3.2% |
| Cameron Brate | TB | 36 | 311 | 8.6 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 2.8% |
Fant has been available later in drafts than I expected. Denver is starting an unproven youngster at quarterback, but Fant to me looks like their 2nd-best receiving option -- only Courtland Sutton is definitely ahead of him. The Broncos also have Jerry Jeudy and probably DaeSean Hamilton, but Fant should be a more reliable target for Lock than either of those guys, at least early on.
--Andy Richardson