Noah Fant, T.J. Hockenson shines at NFL Scouting Combine, both in the line of sight

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The NFL Scouting Combine will help teams prepare for the NFL draft. Here is an overview of where the grouping begins and what potential customers do when they are there.
Michael Nyerges, Cincinnati Enquirer

Noah Fanti was one of the most high-profile athletes when competing at the NFL's National Scouting Championships in Indianapolis.

Fant was not disappointed on Saturday.

USA striker Noah Fant of Iowa participates in an NFL football scouting exercise in Indianapolis on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (AP Photo / Michael Conroy) (Photo: Michael Conroy, AP)

The former Iowa star was the first of a talented crop of tight speed and skipping ability. But Fant also showed surprising power. For someone who was trying to prove that he was worthy of a first-round selection at the NFL draft next month, it was the perfect representation.

How perfect?

Fant ran a 40-yard dash of 4.5 seconds. His vertical jump was 39.5 inches. His jump in width was 10 feet, 7 inches. And he even used 225 books 20 times to answer one of the questions that concerned him.

At 6 feet 4 inches, 249 pounds, Fant showed a speed and jump ability more common among the wide receivers.

T.J. Hockenson, another former Iowa member who arrived in Indianapolis with a reputation more established than Fant, has not yet proved Saturday. Still, Hockenson was second in tight ends with a 37.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-3 wide jump.

Hockenson, at 6-5, 251 pounds, is considered the preeminent blocker among the tight ends of the project. That, combined with his reception skills, is why most forecasters think he will be the first chosen opponent. He ran a time of 4.7 seconds 40 and handled 17 reps on the bench. These are solid figures and should not hurt him on the day of the repechage.

It is possible that three sharp turns will be taken in the first round this year. Irv Smith of Alabama would be the other. No school has ever had two tight ends taken in the first round of the same year. The Hawkeyes may be doing the story soon.

Gil Brandt, a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame and Dallas Cowboys Staff Manager for three decades, did the research and found that the 16 tight ends taken in the first round of the repechage since 2003 had these average numbers in the combined: 4.61 seconds in the 40 and a vertical of 35-6. One more: a performance of 4.34 seconds in the 20-meter short shuttle, which Brandt sees as a third important indicator of tight final success.

Fant ran a 4.22. Hockenson overcame it with a 4.18.

Hockenson and Fant leave Indianapolis while the tight ranking in the top two positions ends in the repechage.

It was a wonderful Saturday for the two tight ends of Iowa. The Hawkeyes will have their Pro Day on March 25th.