The Bears didn’t go far to find their next tight end, drafting St. Viator and Notre Dame alum Cole Kmet in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday.
The 6-foot-6, 262-pound Kmet grew up a Bears fan. He’s young — Kmet turned 21 in March — and has room to grow. He left Notre Dame a year early after catching 43 passes for 515 yards last year. He spent two years on the baseball team and served as the Irish’s closer as a freshman, but gave up the sport to focus on football.
He said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he was well-aware of the Bears’ need at tight end.
HOME!!!!!! @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/7BR17O3Zfc
— Cole Kmet (@ColeKmet) April 25, 2020
“For sure, I definitely looked at it,” he said in February. “And it would be a great opportunity to play in Chicago, play in the hometown. That would be a lot of fun.”
The White Sox considered drafting him out of high school. Now, he gets to stay home and play a different sport — as the first tight end selected in the draft.
The first TE is off the board in the 2020 #NFLDraft.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 25, 2020
Welcome to Chicago, @ColeKmet! ⬇️@MillerLite | #BearsDraft pic.twitter.com/dJrsAKmqDX
The Bears created an opening at the position exactly a week ago when they cut Trey Burton, who spent most of 2019 injured. They signed starter Jimmy Graham to a two-year, $16 million deal with $9 million guaranteed last month. The Bears have 10 tight ends on their roster, the most in the league.
Kmet watched the draft from his parents’ home in Arlington Heights.
For the second-straight year, the Bears did not have a first-round pick this year as a result of the Khalil Mack trade. They entered Friday night with two first-round picks: at No. 43 and 50.
