Like the rest of us, the Chicago Bears were mere spectators during the first round of the first and hopefully last virtual NFL draft. The Khalil Mack trade left the Bears with no first-round pick which meant they would have to wait until picks 43 and 50 to be on the clock, baring trade. While there were rumors the Bears were looking to move up, they ultimately stayed put.
Once it was time for the Bears to make their first selection GM Ryan Pace picked up the phone in his IT team-built war room and made every sports fan’s dream come true for Cole Kmet. With the 43rd pick in the draft the Bears selected the 6’6’’, 262 lbs. tight end from Notre Dame to play for the team he grew up rooting for in Lake Barrington, IL.
Kmet might have been a bit of a reach for the Bears at 43, however he was the consensus top ranked TE in this year’s class and the Bears needed to add to that position after it ranked last in the NFL last season in most statistical categories. Due to the team releasing Trey Burton earlier this week, Kmet will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact on the field which is exactly what they will need due to the lack of a first-round pick.
Kmet is a solid athlete with good hands in the passing game and a willing blocker in the run game which Chicago also desperately needed to improve on after last season. With the team signing Jimmy Graham this offseason they were in need of a tight end that could not only contribute in the air game but could contribute in the ground game as well. Pace told reporters in his post-draft press conference, “[Kmet] really has the strength and temperament we want in the run game. And really, we feel his blocking is still improving, so there’s a lot of upside in that area.”
Kmet is far from a polished blocker but he does not shy away from contact and the Bears are hoping the former two-sport athlete will only continue to improve after committing to football full-time.
Another glaring area of need for the Bears this off-season is the secondary. The team is looking for help after letting S HaHa Clinton-Dix walk and releasing CB Prince Amukamara due to cap restrictions. They addressed this need in a big way with the selection of two-time First Team All-Pac-12 CB Jaylen Johnson out of Utah. Johnson seems to be an absolute steal for the Bears as many experts had him with a first-round grade, but shoulder issues caused Johnson to fall to the Bears at no. 50. Johnson played through most of last season with said shoulder injury and still made the aforementioned First Team All-Pac-12 and had surgery following the NFL combine.
The Bears addressed two glaring needs during their first action in the 2020 draft. While I think there was value left on the board by selecting Kmet at 43, both players project to be solid pros and should be week one starters which is exactly what the Bears needed to accomplish with their two second-round selections.