Now about Kmet, he was the consensus top tight end in this draft class, and I was probably 80% sure the Bears were drafting him when he was still there with their 43rd pick. Despite the addition of Graham, along with eight others on the roster, tight end remained a need for the team. Considering he was also from Notre Dame, which the Bears absolutely LOVE, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to take a deeper dive into his game by looking at his performance against Georgia to see if he could handle SEC SPEED.
Before we get into the film, let's look at his combine. Looking at his athleticism, there is a lot to like with Kmet.
The Bears love big tight ends, and at 6'6" and 262 pounds, Kmet fits the bill. He also shows great explosiveness in both his broad and vertical jumps with a very good 40 time of 4.7 seconds. I know that the 3-cone and short shuttle may be a concern, but those concerns may be overblown as here is a second round tight end that overcame similar issues.
If Kmet ends up as the next Rob Gronkowski, I think most Bears fans would be okay with that.
As for the on-field play, his size shows up immediately as he is not easy to bring down.
Even after bouncing after the corner's tackle attempt, it takes multiple Georgia defenders to bring him down.
Despite his impressive size, he whiffed on a lot of blocks in the game I saw. He seemed hesitant on a lot of plays and would shuffle his feet instead of finding a defender to put a hit on.
He does have good hands, but you also have to question his selfish behavior.
He clearly steals this touchdown from the wide receiver behind him that this ball was intended for. Does he have an issue with short people? I don't know, but I would at least mark it down as a character concern. Still, this is an impressive catch and shows his strong hands and the ability to adjust to throws that are not ideal, a skill he'll have plenty of chances to utilize in Chicago.
One last issue I had was his lack of effort on plays. He'd just kind of go through the motions instead of really hustling and trying to make a play. It was especially evident when his quarterback scrambled to find time, but he'd just keep dragging along the field instead of making cuts back to his quaterback to try to give him an outlet.
Cole Kmet is not an desirable pick; he's a viable pick. He is a second round pick that can provide second round value. He is a high floor, low ceiling player. He's not an elite athlete like George Kittle or Travis Kelce, but he's an old school tight end who can take up space, use his body in the red zone, and give your quarterback a viable target. So the Bears have something between Scott Chandler (floor) and fellow Notre Dame alum, Kyle Rudolph (ceiling). That's not a game changer, but if he reaches that ceiling, Bears fans will still be ecstatic.
If Kmet ends up as the next Rob Gronkowski, I think most Bears fans would be okay with that.
As for the on-field play, his size shows up immediately as he is not easy to bring down.
Even after bouncing after the corner's tackle attempt, it takes multiple Georgia defenders to bring him down.
Despite his impressive size, he whiffed on a lot of blocks in the game I saw. He seemed hesitant on a lot of plays and would shuffle his feet instead of finding a defender to put a hit on.
He does have good hands, but you also have to question his selfish behavior.
He clearly steals this touchdown from the wide receiver behind him that this ball was intended for. Does he have an issue with short people? I don't know, but I would at least mark it down as a character concern. Still, this is an impressive catch and shows his strong hands and the ability to adjust to throws that are not ideal, a skill he'll have plenty of chances to utilize in Chicago.
One last issue I had was his lack of effort on plays. He'd just kind of go through the motions instead of really hustling and trying to make a play. It was especially evident when his quarterback scrambled to find time, but he'd just keep dragging along the field instead of making cuts back to his quaterback to try to give him an outlet.
Cole Kmet is not an desirable pick; he's a viable pick. He is a second round pick that can provide second round value. He is a high floor, low ceiling player. He's not an elite athlete like George Kittle or Travis Kelce, but he's an old school tight end who can take up space, use his body in the red zone, and give your quarterback a viable target. So the Bears have something between Scott Chandler (floor) and fellow Notre Dame alum, Kyle Rudolph (ceiling). That's not a game changer, but if he reaches that ceiling, Bears fans will still be ecstatic.
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