Love of the NFL draft is a great thing. It makes football more fun when fans are invested in young players arriving on their teams. However, it can also be a double-edged sword. Many people have borderline delusional expectations for these picks. They expect every one to be an eventual star. When it doesn’t happen, it’s the fault of the coaches or somebody else. That isn’t how this works. Very few players actually become stars. More realistic expectations are for them to become solid starters. That is where the Chicago Bears are with Cole Kmet.
The same can’t be said of Bears fans. Despite having played limited snaps as a rookie in 2020 and not having any sort of offseason to prepare, some are already calling into question whether Kmet will be any good. This guy isn’t the next Rob Gronkowski. He’ll be lucky if he’s the next Kyle Rudolph. Which is funny.
Here’s a question. Would these people rather have Rudolph or Adam Shaheen? It isn’t hard to guess the answer. Kmet following a similar career path to the former Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowler would be a good thing.
Not in the eyes of some, apparently.
Part 1 of Cole Kmet’s snaps against man coverage #Bears pic.twitter.com/2hMtGnYdGL
— Bears blog boy and 11 personnel advocate (@TommyK_NFLDraft) July 13, 2021
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Let us keep this in mind. Kmet was a 2nd round pick. Yes, he was the first pick of the draft by the Bears but that doesn’t change where he was drafted. He went 43rd overall for a reason. NFL evaluators liked him but still had reservations about his ceiling. Chicago loved him and believes he can be something really good in their system. Yet the reaction from large sections of the fanbase makes it seem like anything short of George Kittle territory is a failure.
All of this because he didn’t create the desired amount of separation on his routes? As a rookie? First of all, that seems a tad premature. Second of all, when you’re 6’6 and athletic as he is? Creating separation is far from a necessity to be a productive pass target in the NFL. He proved that a number of times. Whenever the Bears QB threw it up and gave him a chance, Kmet delivered more often than not.
To the people crying about Cole Kmet not getting enough separation:
You do know that Allen Robinson, an elite WR on our team, is 84th in the NFL in target separation… Right?
You can make a living in contested catches and bullying defenders. Absolutely childish knock. #Bears pic.twitter.com/JxhuGA7Jik
— Joseph Herff (@JosephHerffNFL) July 14, 2021
So basically Cole Kmet’s athletic profile side by side with Zach Ertz
Saying Cole doesn’t have the athletic profile to be a top end TE is false
Maybe he will be maybe he won’t be. That’s up to him to improve his route running. But he has the tools. pic.twitter.com/cj9dQqFQs3
— 3 Kings Of The Midway (@3Kings_Midway) July 15, 2021
Cole Kmet being good should be good enough
Sure, it’d be great if the Bears landed the next version of Mike Ditka. It just isn’t likely. What they should be shooting for right now is somebody who can give them around 500-600 yards and 6-7 touchdowns per season. That might not be All-Pro numbers but it would be a huge contribution to this offense. Combine that with quality blocking that he can also provide? Nobody could ever make a strong case he was a bad pick.
Cole Kmet wants to be great. He especially wants to be great in Chicago. The Bears are his childhood team. This is a dream come true for him. Nobody is more motivated than him to excel. Fans just have to do as Bo Burnham said.
Lower your expectations.
That will make whatever ends up happening, good or bad far easier to accept. Kmet is built to have a long career in the NFL. Nobody knows how it will unfold. The best thing to do is enjoy the ride. Maybe they’re right and he’ll never be great at separating from defenders. That doesn’t mean he won’t be able to still be productive.
