Chicago Bears need Cole Kmet to take the leap in 2021

The Chicago Bears have high expectations for both the near and distant future of the franchise. They sent that signal when they traded multiple first-round picks to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

With Fields in the fold as the QB of the future for the Chicago Bears, skill players the team has invested in with recent high draft choices are going to need to step up make big strides to give him the proper supporting cast.

One of those players is 2020 second-round pick Cole Kmet, a former Notre Dame star who was the 43rd overall pick in last year’s class.

As a rookie, Kmet made a nice impact behind veteran Jimmy Graham with 28 receptions for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 603 snaps. At 6-foot-6, 262 pounds, Kmet is obviously an asset as a blocker but his athleticism is also off the charts, running a 4.70 in the 40-yard dash last year with a 37-inch vertical jump.

That kind of freakish athleticism combined with his size makes Kmet a dangerous threat at the tight end position, and he says that he feels bigger and stronger heading into his second NFL season.

Bigger, faster, and stronger is one thing, but the Chicago Bears really need Kmet to be better.

He averaged just under nine yards per reception and showed that he can be a threat in the red zone but just being an outlet is simply not going to be enough for the Bears to take that next step offensively.

Kmet is too talented to be strictly an outlet off of play-action or only targeted when the Chicago Bears’ offense is in the red zone.

Matt Nagy needs to get creative and explore utilizing this kind of weapon as a big slot, getting him involved more as a receiver with YAC opportunities, and creating mismatches with his size.

In case you were wondering, Kmet is always a size mismatch.

He has the ability to use his frame and leaping abilities to win contested-catch situations and Chicago would be wise to get him more of those as well. In the modern NFL, tight ends are having to line up at a variety of spots within the offense and make an impact.

Kmet is the type of player who could handle a high volume of targets and the 2021 season could be the one where he really takes the torch from Jimmy Graham as one of the Bears’ primary receiving options.