Brian Kelly knows a thing or two about coaching and developing tight ends. Sure, we’re all aware of Notre Dame being seen nationally as “Tight End U” but Kelly has been doing it longer than just since he’s been in South Bend.
Travis Kelce starred for Kelly at Cincinnati before becoming one of, if not the best tight end in the NFL over the last few seasons. Kyle Rudolph, Durham Smythe and Tyler Eifert are just a few others have starred at the position under Kelly in recent years. Kelly met the media today to recap Notre Dame players and their NFL landing spots and sees Chicago Bears draft pick Cole Kmet on a collision course with some of the good ones.
“I’ve had Travis Kelce, Tyler Eifert, Kyle Rudolph, Durham Smythe — a number of tight ends that are doing exceedingly well in the NFL,” Kelly said Tuesday. “Cole Kmet will be in line with all of those guys.”
Kmet has a couple of knocks coming out of Notre Dame. Mine are mostly in regards to inconsistency in run blocking, maybe waiting for the ball to get to him instead of attacking a reception all the time and his production being based on a very small sample. That all said, I think his ceiling is plenty high by even NFL standards.
I also think it’s important to look at the Chicago Bears selection of Kmet independent of what they’ve done at the position in recent years. Spending bad money on Trey Burton, a bad draft pick on Adam Shaheen or more potential bad money on Jimmy Graham doesn’t mean just because he’s a draft pick of theirs that he’s going to flop like some seem to want to suggest.
“They would not have drafted Cole Kmet if he was the 10th tight end,” Kelly said. “You don’t make those kinds of investments unless you know what you’re getting, and what they’re getting is an athletic tight end that is going to impact their offense immediately.”
I agree with Kelly in that assessment. Kmet is by no means a finished product but based off of what the Bears have at tight end he may also enter the 2020 season as the best all-around tight end on the roster as Jimmy Graham isn’t anywhere near the talent he was seven years ago and Adam Shaheen has been an epic bust.
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I like the pick of Kmet, I really do. I’m not as sold on instant impact for the newest Bears tight end in 2020 but I have trouble believing that if he stays healthy that the Bears and their fans won’t really come to like the pick a couple of years from now.