Not only did the Chicago Bears address a position of need with their first pick in this draft, they tried to exercise some demons of failed pursuits of the past.
With the 43rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet was the top-ranked tight end in the class, and as Bears fans know, finding quality production out of the position has been a futile effort in recent years.
Between numerous free agents who fell short of expectations and draft picks that didn’t pan out, the Bears had ample reasons to draft Kmet. But with 9 tight ends already on the roster, adding another body to the room didn’t feel like a priority.
And yet, they did it.
Last year, Kmet caught 43 passes, gained 515 receiving yards, and scored six touchdowns. At 6-6 and 262 pounds, Kmet projects to be a “Y” tight end who could be a versatile enough to catch passes and move bodies as a blocker with proper development. But because history tells us tight end development isn’t often an accelerated process, there could be growing pains.
In fact, Kmet’s NFL.com Draft profile suggests just that:
“He’s still developing and could be a slow starter headed into the league, but he has the talent to eventually become a solid starter as a pass-catching in-line tight end with the ability to mismatch from the slot with his size.”
We’ll have more on the Kmet pick as the night goes on.