Kmet on the verge of breaking out?

Cole Kmet was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft in the 2nd round with the 43rd overall pick, by the Chicago Bears. Kmet was the only TE to be selected in the first 90 picks of the draft and essentially was the obvious top prospect at his position.

Kmet was a hometown native and this was a dream come true for him. Kmet certainly did pass the eye test on the highlight tape and it was understandable why the Bears drafted him. He is a big-bodied TE with sneaky speed, able to shake defenders and run after the catch, and was able to separate and make tough catches in the second level.

All though in his first two seasons, Kmet has not blown up the stat sheet, there's more to it than that. Very few TEs come out of college and post pro bowl stats immediately as we see at other skill positions. Kmet was able to receive a large amount of playing time in his rookie campaign, being on the field for 56% of the teams' offense snaps. Kmet also has had the luxury to play the «little brother» role to Jimmy Graham since he entered the league. Graham is arguably one of the best redzone threats to enter this league at the position and has tremendous knowledge of the game.

Kmet made strides in his 2nd year, this started with taking the starting position over. Kmet was on the field for nearly 1,000 snaps this past season grabbing 60 receptions on 93 targets and 612 yards receiving. Kmet failed to find the end zone but that is no knack to him, Nagy's offense was historically bad scoring and finding the end zone in the redzone.


Those numbers in 2021 for Kmet actually are tied with former 1st round pick and Chicago Bear, Greg Olsen. Olsen's best season in Chicago came in 2009 when he also had 60 receptions and 612 yards receiving. As we know Olsen was traded from Chicago to Carolina for a 3rd round pick and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

Kmet not only has the size but the athleticism and tools to become a crucial weapon for QB Justin Fields and an important piece in this offense. Kmet is trending up and has the potential to fill the role the Bears expected him to when they selected him in the second round.