I'm happy that some of you Bears fans are happy.
With that being said my thoughts on the player was despite having a good frame, he's a pretty bad blocker.
Here's Dane Brugler's take on him in his draft guide:
COLE KMET | Notre Dame 6056 | 262 lbs. | JR. Lake Barrington, Ill. (St. Viator) 3/10/1999 (age 21.12) #84
BACKGROUND: Cole Kmet grew up as a multi-sport athlete in the Chicago suburbs, although baseball was his main focus over football throughout middle school. He played both sports at St. Viator and led the baseball team to the 2017 3A state championship as a pitcher and centerfielder. As a senior, Kmet was widely considered the best high school baseball player in the state, impressing as a hitter (.435 batting average, 12 home runs, 46 RBI) and left-handed pitcher (7-3 record with 2.11 ERA and 96 strikeouts). On the football field, he played tight end on offense and defensive end on defense. A senior captain, he finished the 2016 season with 48 catches for 773 yards and four scores, adding 32 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks on defense. Kmet collected a number of accolades, including second-team all-state honors. A four-star tight end recruit out of high school, Kmet was the No. 3 tight end recruit in the country behind only Colby Parkinson and Brock Wright (Kmet’s backup at Notre Dame). Kmet collected double-digit offers, but knew early on that Notre Dame was his destination, committing to the Irish during his junior season. However, he had another decision to make because the Chicago White Sox made him a lucrative six-figure offer to sign (and be a fifth-round draft pick in the 2017 MLB Draft). Kmet elected not to sign, instead choosing to play baseball and football at Notre Dame. His father (Frank) played defensive line at Purdue (1988-91) and was drafted in the fourth round (No. 111 overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. His maternal uncle (Jeff Zgonina) also played on the Purdue defensive line (1989-92) and was drafted in the seventh round (No. 185 overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing 17 seasons in the NFL for eight different teams. Zgonina coached several seasons in the NFL, including as the defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 2018, and currently serves as the assistant defensive line coach for the Washington Redskins. Primarily a left-handed reliever for the Irish, Kmet finished his college baseball career with 10 saves, appearing in 34 games over two seasons. He elected to skip his senior season and give up baseball to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
2017: (13/0) 2 rec, 14 yards, 7.0 ypc, 0 TDs
2018: (11/7) 15 rec, 162 yards, 10.8 ypc, 0 TDs
2019: (11/11) 43 rec, 515 yards, 12.0 ypc, 6 TDs
Total: (35/18) 60 rec, 691 yards, 11.5 ypc, 6 TDs
STRENGTHS: NFL-ready body type with room to get stronger…large, accepting hands with excellent hand-eye coordination…catches well in stride to become a threat as a ball carrier…strong acceleration to quickly enter his route…doesn’t labor in his change of direction, naturally transitioning his weight at the stem…uses his body strength and toughness to trample would-be tacklers…enough upper body power to create movement as a blocker when he stays square and runs his legs…efficient job on pin action to help clear a path to the corner…is rarely moved when his technique is right…extremely driven and found a way to balance two sports and two majors while at Notre Dame…hard to find a former coach or teammate who doesn’t talk about him in the highest regard, using words like “winner,” “elite character” and “once in a lifetime young man.”
WEAKNESSES: Still an entry-level blocker from a consistency standpoint…upright in his pass-sets and late with his punch…must improve his set-up quickness and blocking angles to survive in pass pro…put some disappointing reps on tape as a lead blocker, lowering his pads, but bracing for contact instead of initiating it…guilty of head-ducking and losing balance as a run blocker…lacks elite speed or suddenness for the position…not the most detailed route-runner and must learn how to use his hips, eyes and strides to get open…quick healer and toughness isn’t a concern, but he missed several games due to injury over his career: suffered a high right ankle sprain (September 2018) that forced him to miss two games; required surgery after breaking his right clavicle (August 2019), missing the first two games of the 2019 season…is baseball still a future option for him?
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Notre Dame, Kmet was the starting tight end in head coach Brian Kelly’s pro style scheme, splitting his snaps inline, on the wing and detached. Following in the footsteps of players like Golden Tate and Jeff Samardzija, he is the latest Notre Dame product who split his time between baseball and football in South Bend, choosing the NFL over MLB (like Tate). Kmet is an easy player to like (both on and off the field) with outstanding ball skills and body control to dominate the catch point. While he must continue learning the details of route-running and blocking, he has never played only one sport so year-round dedication to football will certainly accelerate his development.
Overall, Kmet is a dependable and physically impressive pass catcher who doesn’t have a deal-breaking weakness to his game, projecting as an NFL-ready “Y” target similar to Jason Witten when he was coming out of Tennessee. GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round
