NFL Rumors: Patriots to ‘seriously consider' trading up for Noah Fant

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There's a good chance Noah Fant won't be on the board when the New England Patriots pick 32nd in the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday night.

... But what if the Patriots pick before No. 32?

In a podcast Thursday, Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline suggested there's no chance "whatsoever" the Iowa tight end will slide to the Patriots at No. 32 overall.

He then added this:

"But I've been told the Patriots will seriously consider trading up for Fant. That's how much they like him."

Fant, who caught 39 passes for 519 yards and seven touchdowns for Iowa in 2018, arguably is the second-best tight end in the draft behind former Hawkeyes teammate A.J. Hockenson.

The 6-foot-4, 249-pound tight end has been on the Patriots' radar, too: Bill Belichick watched Fant run an impressive 4.5-second 40-yard-dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, then brought him in for a pre-draft visit earlier this month.

Our own Phil Perry has Fant going No. 30 overall in his latest NFL Mock Draft, so New England shouldn't have to move up too much. And with 12 draft picks at their disposal, the Patriots certainly have the flexibility to snag Rob Gronkowski's potential replacement if they see fit.

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