PFF re-grades Denver’s 2019 NFL Draft. Noah Fant over Devin Bush?

The Denver Broncos made a controversial decision in the 2019 NFL Draft that has been debated in Broncos Country ever since, and now Pro Football focus has weighed in on the argument.

No, not the draft selection of Drew Lock. We’re talking about the Broncos decision to trade down from the tenth overall pick with the Pittsburgh Steelers so that they could select Devin Bush, instead of the Broncos selecting him themselves. After trading down the Broncos then selected Noah Fant.

According to a recent PFF article from analyst Anthony Treash, the Broncos made the right decision in trading down for Fant.

For the selection of Bush, Treash gave the Steelers a “below average” grade.

“Bush wasn’t spectacular, but he was still performing better than fellow first-round linebacker Devin White before going down with a torn ACL in Week 6,” Treash wrote. “Bush has earned a 62.2 PFF grade in his NFL career so far and was fairly productive as a rookie, as he tied for ninth at the position in total defensive stops with 47. It’s looking as though Bush will end up as a better player than White, but he still has quite a bit to prove when he returns from injury in 2021.”

On the other hand, the Denver Broncos received an “above average” grade for their selection of Noah Fant. Treash also praised the leap Noah Fant made from his rookie year to 2020, and noted how he made massive improvements in the areas he struggled the most.

“Fant finished his second season with one of the five highest receiving grades at the position (80.3), well above the 61.4 mark he posted as a rookie,” Treash wrote. “He improved his ball skills tremendously, as he won far more against single coverage and created numerous big plays underneath with his run after catch ability — both of which were concerns coming out of college. Among all tight ends this past season, Fant ranked fourth in percentage of catchable targets caught, fourth in receiving grade against single coverage and first in both broken tackles (seven) and yards after the catch per reception (9.7) on underneath concepts.”