2019 NFL Draft: Projected First Round after NFL Combine
47. . TE. Iowa. Noah Fant. 32. player
What the Patriots choose to do with this pick will likely be impacted by how they feel about Rob Gronkowski going forward. Gronk is obviously still one of the premier tight ends in the league as he showed during New England’s march to a sixth Super Bowl, but he seriously contemplated retirement at the end of last season, and he might decide to hang up the cleats for good this time, choosing to go out on top after hoisting the Lombardi once more.
If the Patriots get the inkling that Gronk might be leaning toward retirement, they might target a tight end at the end of the first round to replace him, particularly if Iowa’s Noah Fant is still on the board with the final pick of day one.
Fant is in the mix with his teammate T.J. Hockenson to be the first tight end selected in April; his athleticism was on full display this week in Indianapolis as he ran a 4.51 40-yard dash, the fastest among his position group, while also leading all tight ends with a 39.5-inch vertical jump.
Fant is nipping at Hockenson’s heels, but his teammate has a slight advantage due to his ability as a blocker. Fant is a receiver first, and will need work increasing his power at the point of attack to be an effective run blocker in the NFL.
He’s a nightmare matchup as a receiver though, with unbelievable leaping ability and wide receiver speed. The Patriots have always been able to move Gronk around in order to find favorable matchups for him, and they would do the same for Fant; he might be the perfect Gronk replacement next season or down the road if the future Hall-of-Famer decides to return to New England for one more go.
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The Patriots are likely to be in the market to try and find Tom Brady’s eventual replacement at quarterback through the draft. If they feel good about Duke’s Daniel Jones, they could make him the last pick of the first round if he’s still on the board. If he’s gone, or if they think he isn’t worthy of a first round pick, the Pats have a load of day-two draft capital and could target someone like Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham or the intriguing project-QB Tyree Jackson out of Buffalo down the line.