The Chicago Bears didn’t hesitate when they selected Cole Kmet with their first pick of the 2020 draft. They felt they were getting great value at a position of glaring need. Kmet is 21-years old. He learned under Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, one of the best tight end factories of the past decade. He was born in Lake Barrington and grew up idolizing Brian Urlacher and Greg Olsen. It seems like such a no brainer of a pick.
Yet some people criticized the Bears for it. They felt there were other players of higher value at different positions. GM Ryan Pace already had nine tight ends on the roster. What was the point of grabbing Kmet? One person who was tired of the tight end not getting enough attention was former NFL quarterback Chris Simms.
He vented that frustration before the draft on Unbuttoned for NBC Sports.
“Well I…can somebody talk about Cole Kmet? Somebody?
It’s not a deep tight end class but Cole Kmet’s going to get drafted in the 1st round. I have no bones about it. I mean I will be shocked if he doesn’t get drafted in the 1st round. I mean really. I’ll be shocked. That’s why it bothers me…
…To be as big as he is? And 260 lbs? And 6’5? To be able to run the way he runs? He hasn’t really played spring football because he did baseball and he’s a phenomenal blocker and a phenomenal pass catcher? And he can beat people one-on-one? There is no doubt he is a 1st round talent…
…He’s going to be a mismatch in the pass game. He’s going to be one of those guys who if he gets in the right offense? They’re going to be able to split him out and say, ‘Oh there’s a linebacker on him? They can’t run with him.’ Then you’re going to look out and go, ‘Oh they put a DB on him. Well he’s too small so we’re still going to throw to him because we think he’ll just box them out and do it.’
I’m just annoyed he hasn’t gotten more talk.”
Cole Kmet is a victim of his limited production
The truth is a lot of evaluators struggled to buy into Kmet largely because of his limited production in college. He only started one full season as the featured guy at tight end. While he had a solid year with 515 yards and six touchdowns (despite missing three games), that wasn’t enough to sway some. Previous 1st rounders like O.J. Howard and T.J. Hockenson each had at least two years of relatively decent production and the tape to go with it.
Kmet, while on the same tier in terms of talent, didn’t offer that. Like many underclassmen, he decided to go pro rather than return for a senior season. Maybe in hindsight returning would’ve helped him go in the 1st round in 2021. However, that is never a guarantee. Besides, the odds are he wouldn’t have been drafted by his beloved hometown team in that scenario.
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The reality is Kmet is a physical specimen. He’s big, strong, and much more athletic than he gets credit for. His work ethic is lauded by all who know him. Now that his focus is 100% on football, it feels like a matter of time before other teams recognize what Simms has been trying to tell them.
