SI: Cole Kmet Is The Top TE In The Draft

Sports Illustrated NFL Draft analyst Kevin Hanson has updated his position rankings for the 2020 NFL Draft, and there's a familiar face at the top of the tight end board.

Hanson has former Notre Dame standout Cole Kmet top his tight end board following Kmet's dominant performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"Expected to return to school in 2020, the dual-sport athlete (with baseball) for Notre Dame had a change of heart. Now, Kmet has a shot to be the first tight end off the board. A safety valve for Ian Book as a junior, Kmet became more involved in the passing attack and finished with 43 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. Kmet has experience both in-line and detached with the frame to continue to add more mass. Despite weighing in as the heaviest tight end at the combine, Kmet had the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash (4.70), best vertical jump (37") and second-best broad jump (10'3") at the position."

Kmet had an outstanding 2019 season for the Irish, despite missing the first two games with a broken clavicle. His 43 catches and 515 yards both rank as the sixth best single-season marks for a tight end in Notre Dame history. His six receiving touchdown tied with all-time great Ken McAfee for the most in a season by an Irish tight end.

Kmet's 60 career catches ranks 10th all-time among Notre Dame tight ends. He caught nine passes for 108 yards in his first game of the season when the Irish traveled to Georgia. His nine catches tied McAfee (vs. Purdue, 1977) for the most in a game by a Notre Dame tight end. His 108 yards in that game ranked sixth.

In the last decade, only former All-American Tyler Eifert had more catches or yards as a tight end in season than did Kmet this past season.

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