Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports
Tight End Cole Kmet To Declare For The NFL Draft
Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet has announced his intention to bypass his senior season and declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Kmet had stated in November he planned to return for his senior season, but feedback from the NFL was that he was the best tight end in the upcoming draft, which forced him to change course. Kmet received a second round grade, but being the top tight end in the draft ultimately puts in him in position to move into the late first round with strong pre-draft workouts.
Dane Brugler, the lead draft analyst at The Athletic, believes Kmet is the best tight end in the draft.
"For tight end-needy NFL teams, they were hoping Kmet decided to come out because he would shoot to the top of the TE rankings in this class as a projected top-40 pick. He checks a lot of boxes with his mix of size, athleticism and ball skills. As long as the medicals check out, Kmet will be the new TE1 in the class."
Kmet missed the first two games of the 2019 season with a broken clavicle, but he returned with a vengeance, hauling in career bests with nine catches for 108 yards against Georgia. The Bulldogs had no answer for Kmet, whose size (6-5 1/2, 250) alone makes him a difficult matchup, but what makes the now former Irish tight end so unique is the combination of athleticism and pass catching ability that Brugler mentioned.
The Lake Barrington, Ill. native spent much of his prep career as a wide receiver, and it wasn't until his senior season for St. Viator and then his freshman season at Notre Dame that he truly filled out his frame. That experience gave him an advanced feel for route running. It also gave Kmet a great deal of experience playing outside and in the slot, which adds to his versatility as a pass catcher.
Kmet caught 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns on the season. His 43 receptions are the fifth-best single-season mark by a tight end in school history and his 515 ranks sixth best. Kmet's six touchdowns tied Ken MacAfee for the most in a season by an Irish tight end.
For his career, Kmet hauled in 60 catches for 691 yards and six touchdowns. Kmet ranks ninth all-time in catches for a tight end at Notre Dame.
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