This conversation began moments after Cole Kmet declared for the NFL Draft. It was entirely conducted through Twitter DM’s which may as well be the modern-day AOL Instant Messenger.
Jeff: Kmet
Nick: I need a minute. Or ten. Or better yet, a day.
Nick: ;(
Jeff: Tremble/Mayer/Wright will be a top-five tight end unit in the country still.
Nick: Mayer is going to be a monster, he looks the part of something special. I was pleasantly surprised with Tremble last year, especially early on before Kmet returned.
Jeff: Notre Dame always has guys like Niklas and Koyack who don’t do much early and then play out of their minds their final year. I’m hopeful that’s what happens with Wright next year.
Jeff: But who knows? Book was the most important returnee and that’s something I never would have said two months ago.
Jeff: I quickly got over the sting of Kmet leaving early because my thought was mostly, “Meh, Tight End U will just reload like they always do”. Am I wrong in doing so?
Nick: Yes and no.
Nick: Have there been tight ends who were ultimately better than Kmet was at ND in fairly recent memory? Absolutely since it’s really one year of dominance we look at for Kmet. But with Claypool gone as well I’m now a bit concerned in terms of reliable, go-to play-makers in key spots because both were so great in those moments. I know career wise plenty have better resumes than Kmet but how many had a better final year than he did in 2019?
Jeff: The only two that immediately come to mind as far as combining production and NFL potential are Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph. And I think Kmet is closer to Rudolph than Eifert. In my mind, Eifert was in a different stratosphere. He was the go to guy. He was an exceptional blocker. He could be split out. He could play in-line. Rudolph had moments and he looked the part, but he seemed to always be banged up. Kmet’s numbers never came close to either. Maybe because Claypool blew up due to defenses accounting for Kmet more after he blew up against Georgia. And earlier in his career he was taking a back seat to Alize Mack. Either way, Eifert and Rudolph are the only two that should be in the same conversation as Kmet in my opinion.
Jeff: Anyone else you’d put there?
Nick: I agree it’s those two. Rudolph had insane moments but I’m with you on Eifert. You look back on 2012 and as fun and as unexpected as 12-0 was, that offense was easy to punch in the face. Who made plays all year to keep that thing going though? Eiftert in the pass game, Eiftert burying someone in the run game. The guy did it all and was as complete of Tight End and tight end u has seen in my day. I don’t have any names to add to the top of the list with Eiftert and Rudolph coming in above Kmet but I do always think back to John Carlson and thinking he gets forgotten about far too easily, probably because that ‘07 team was just putrid.
Jeff: Yeah Carlson was really good for a short time and ended up having a pretty decent NFL career. Another guy I think about on a level below is Anthony Fasano. That 2005 team was so explosive, or at least explosive relative to the Willingham years, and Fasano was one of the most reliable targets for Brady Quinn on a team full of them.
Nick: It always amazed me how little Willingham got out of that offense in ’04. I know they were still young but my goodness just look at the talent with Fasano being a part of it. With how the game has changed how do you factor in some of the legendary tight ends that came before our time of watching college football?
Jeff: That’s interesting. Ken McAfee was a 2-time All American, a 1st round pick and then was asked to play guard in his third year with the 49ers before leaving for dental school. Dave Casper caught 19 balls his last year and got named an All-American before being named a Hall of Famer after his career with the Raiders. Mark Bavaro was one of the best pass catching tight ends of the 80’s who was probably underappreciated in hindsight. I just think the tight end position is viewed so differently today from college to the pro game, with still not many college teams not utilizing the position as the primary target.
Nick: Yeah, you get an award named after you then you’re great regardless of the generation you played. Bavaro was unreal as well. I randomly met Casper before the Miami game in 2012. I know times have changed and miles catch up with a man but couldn’t believe his size (or lack there of) for being a legendary tight end. Back to Kmet and how Tight End U sits. How do Tremble and Wright, Takacs, Mayer and Bauman compare to some of the other solid but not amazing “next guys” we’ve seen at position like Niklas, Koyack and plenty of others?
Jeff: Out to lunch. Will be back on in a few hours. I’ll be more interesting after an old Fashioned or 2
Nick: We talking about the drink?