Cole Kmet Brings A Unique Skillset To The Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears did not have a first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but when Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet fell to them in the second round they were able to take a player many felt was a first round caliber player.
Despite having nine tight ends already on the roster, Kmet was simply too talented to pass up.
“We try to stay as true to our board as we could, when Cole was there with the first pick we were excited to get him there at that spot,” explained Bears General Manager Ryan Pace.
Kmet is a bit of a throwback tight end, and he was clearly the top player at his position in the draft. Pace alluded to the fact supply and demand is a key part of the draft, and he knew which positions would “thin out fast.”
That meant the Bears were able to land the best player at his position in the draft, and one that many analysts were projecting as a first round pick in the days leading up to the draft.
“It's hard to find these tight ends, these 'Y' tight ends that are really well-rounded in that he's an asset in the pass game because of his size and his hands,” explained Pace. “He’s one of those guys that knows how to post up and body, collision and push off. He runs really well for his size. But then his blocking, he's just got the frame and the size and the temperament, the demeanor where we all think he's going to get a lot better as a blocker. To find that well-rounded 'Y' tight end, there's not a lot of them. So for us to get him where we did, was really advantageous for us.”
Chicago signed veteran tight ends Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris during the offseason, but they view Kmet playing a different position in the offense.
“You really have two different style of tight ends in this offense,” continued the Bears GM. “You have the ‘U’ tight end, that would apply more to Jimmy Graham. And then you have the ‘Y’ tight end, which is a little bit more of an inline guy, hand in the ground, good in the run game, needs to have the size to be able to that, and that’s what we see with Cole.
“We think he pairs really well with Jimmy, we think he pairs really well with Demetrius. We’re just excited to take that position and make it a strength.”
Pace praised Kmet’s size, hands and ability after the catch throughout the post-draft interview. But a key for Pace is the belief that Kmet is not even close to reaching his full potential as a player.
“That’s a big part of his value is that we really feel like he's getting better. He's just scratching the surface,” Pace stated. “And to be honest, you could see it this year on tape, when you watch some of the early games, and I think when you get to the Virginia Tech game, you could really feel his game taking off on all levels, and Cole will say that, too. So he's definitely an ascending player … now just focusing on football, with the mindset he has, with the drive that he has … you talk to everybody at Notre Dame they just rave about the person that he is and the approach that he has, and that’s all going to lead to him ascending as we go forward.”
Kmet hauled in 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns as a junior at Notre Dame. His catch and yards totals were the sixth best all-time in a single season for an Irish tight end. His six touchdown catches tied for the most ever in program history for a tight end.
Prior to the draft I broke down why Kmet is a first round talent, and you can read that analysis HERE.
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