Chicago Bears Draft: 3 things to know about TE Cole Kmet
By Ryan Heckman
The Chicago Bears went all-in on their tight end group with their first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Like it or not, general manager Ryan Pace kept both of his second-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Chicago Bears stood pat and grabbed a couple of Day 1 impact players, starting with Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet at 43 overall.
First of all, I understand the notion that the Bears could have traded back and possibly ended up with Kmet a little later. Personally, I agree with that sentiment. But, at this point, there’s no use in complaining or overanalyzing. It’s done. Kmet is a Bear and it happened at pick no. 43 overall. Let’s move on.
In Kmet, the Bears get the unanimous number one tight end in this year’s class. That’s a positive. The 6-foot-6 giant of a target comes to Chicago and immediately fills arguably their biggest need other than offensive line help.
Physically, Kmet is a gifted individual. He won’t blow you away with straight-line speed, but he’s an athlete. Kmet is fast enough, running a 4.7 in his 40-yard dash. But, above all else, his traits for a 6-foot-6 mammoth are a lot to love.
Kmet can jump out of the gym, so to speak. Even with his height, he adds another 37 inches to that with an impressive vertical. He also has long limbs, giving quarterbacks an enticing target with a very large catch radius.
Whether it’s Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky in Week 1, the Bears’ starting quarterback will have a guy at that position who can go up and get just about any ball thrown to him while soaring above the majority of defenders. That’s what I call filling an enormous need with an enormous target.
Other than a lot of his physical traits, there are some other things you should know about the Bears’ newest tight end. Let’s look into his background just a bit and get to know him some more.