The Chicago Bears didn’t have a first-round draft selection for the second straight year, but you could argue that they got a couple of first-round talents in Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet and Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
While many have hailed general manager Ryan Pace’s selection of Johnson, there are many that haven’t been as high on the Bears’ drafting Kmet in the second round when there were other needs.
But there are some that believe that Kmet, arguably the most NFL-ready tight end in this draft class, will make an impact in his rookie season. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr believes that Kmet is one of several rookies poised to have an immediate impact on their team.
Kmet is one of approximately 1,100 tight ends on the Bears’ roster right now but shouldn’t have a difficult time working his way into a regular timeshare with Jimmy Graham. The Bears utilized two tight-end formations frequently on certain downs (it was their third-most utilized personnel grouping on first-and-10, for example) and he’s wonderfully improvisational inside the goal line. That will be rewarded, especially if the more mobile Mitchell Trubisky wins the job out of camp.
Don’t mistake the influx of tight ends on Chicago’s roster for them having plenty of options at the position. When you have 10 tight ends on your team, you have them for a reason — because you don’t know exactly what you’ve got.
But, ultimately, Chicago knows which directions its headed with tight ends in 2020 — and it doesn’t include some of the familiar, unsuccessful faces from the past. The Bears have overhauled the tight ends room this offseason with addition of Jimmy Graham, who replaced Trey Burton, as well as added Kmet and Demetrius Harris, who will serve as “Y” tight ends in Matt Nagy’s offense.
While Kmet won’t be the “U” or move tight end that Graham will occupy, Nagy will certainly finds ways to utilize Kmet’s size and pass-catching ability to the offense’s advantage.
Kmet can certainly make an immediate impact on the Bears in his rookie season — if all goes right
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