Pick #43 TE Cole Kmet #50 Jaylon Johnson

Eh...

Don't hate the pick but don't love it either.

Safety seemed like a better idea at that spot and two immediately went off the board right after the pick....the teams picking between the Bears picks at 43 and 50 were unlikely to take a TE.

Just don't really get it.

 

It's Ryan Pace. You're not supposed to get it. He's always right. Just sit back and relax - he always nails the TE position.

Oh, wait.

 

Well we have 41 TE's on the current roster.

 

Were there no quality OTs available?

But picking a TE when you already have 9 on the roster? Fucking dumb.

Someone at least tell me this guy can block? That's he not soft? Unlike every other TE on the roster in the Pace era except for Zach Miller.

 

I like the Johnson pick.

He will be a better blocker than receiver to begin his career.

 

I really don't understand not taking a safety.

 

Chinn was mocked as a late first round pick in some circles. He’s still there. Don’t get it.

 

The one consolation(I guess) is the Packers seem to screwing up this draft even worse than the Bears.

The Vikes however are killing it.

 

Alright, having done zero scouting before the draft (turns out that's harder with a family), I wanted to at least watch enough to evaluate the Bears' picks. We'll start with Cole Kmet. My initial but incomplete impressions:

He's a good but not great route runner. He's good enough to have an impact in the NFL immediately, but will need refinement to set himself up consistently as a pass catcher. He's got really good hands, and catches the ball well. He's definitely a big guy, and shows it. After the catch, he's big but doesn't bulldoze people. He's got good balance, but I haven't yet seen a mean streak from him as a ball carrier.

I don't like that people are saying he's a good run blocker. Anyone you hear say that has probably been enamored by his size, but hasn't actually paid enough attention to his blocking. He's not an overly willing run blocker - I haven't yet seen him get mean and create space as a run blocker. He'll put his body in the way, but doesn't move anyone. He blocks too high and doesn't move his feet. Smaller guys in space slip right by him without even being rerouted. LB's have been walled off, but I haven't yet seen him move to a hole and then move someone out of it - likely just a symptom of how I've seen him used, so far. He has some hesitation in identifying the right man to block.

Right now, he looks like a liability as an in-line run blocker at the NFL level. He has the size and tools to improve on that going forward, but is not currently a 2-tool TE. The concern is that, simply put, he doesn't move well enough to strictly be a pass-catching threat. Jimmy Graham back in his day was a guy with size and excellent athleticism - you didn't need him to block, because he was an elite pass catcher. Kmet is never going to be that - he doesn't have that athleticism. So his role will require him to be a capable blocker and receiver. I think he's good enough at one of those things right now, and has the tools to do the other in his career.

I can say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he looks leaps and bounds better than Shaheen ever did. Shaheen was beating up on bad competition because of his size and relative speed. He projected to be an abysmal run blocker. He was a guy who beat up on bad competition and looked a lot more impressive than he actually was. Kmet is not that - he's played in big games against NFL defenders, and this evaluation is done with that in mind. I think he has a place at the NFL level immediately, and has the opportunity to develop into a 2-tool starter. I don't think he has the tools to ever be an explosive or game changing player. A consistent move-the-chains threat is not out of the question, though.

Still a lot of tape to watch, but those are my initial impressions. For a pick at #43 in this draft, with the needs this team has, I'm not impressed. While I'm not saying this kid can't be good, he would've made sense as a third round pick. Picking him in the second, especially in front of all the other talent at positions of need that was still there (safety especially, as everyone has pointed out) is just ludicrous, to me. Pace continues to fail this team.

 

I'm in agreement with you all. I cant help but be unimpressed but Pace's second round.

There was so much DB talent on the board at #43. You had the opportunity to give Eddie Jackson a cheap running mate for the next 4 years. Its really hard to justify taking Kmet instead.

In a vacuum I dont hate the pick. TE is a position of great need especially in this offense. You got the basically unanimous best TE on the board, who many graded out as a top 50 prospect. He has big upside with his size and has done it at the highest collegiate level. Its not a BAD pick.

Problem is I cant see how you could argue he was the best player available. The best players available were safeties, a position you currently have a gaping hole in your starting defense, and a position that rookies often have success at right away. Conversley, TE seem to always take some time to develop and are very rarely good as rookies. Even Hockensen last year was just OK.

As for the CB, I dont know much about him. But I hate that he has 3 surgeries under his belt. High risk high reward pick, classic Pace. Pick i love in the 3rd and beyond, but in the second when you didnt have a first? We'll see.

 

I'll be the contrarian. Let's keep the damned good football talk up because after today, it'll be gone until late summer.

This is my big gripe. OLinemen.

Passing on the OLine means we're one step closer to having 2 of the top 6 most penalized OLinemen from 2019 start on the same offensive line in 2020 (Leno and Ifedi). Yeah, not thrilled about that at all and cant defend it.

So 6 of the 9 TEs were on the roster last year, which produced embarrassing TE stats. JP Holtz led the team with 90 receiving yards for the year at TE, and most of that came on a huge screen play.

I get Kmet's just not sexy enough for a lot of fans, and his initial bar isn't being set that high given said trash at TE last year (and let's be honest, the bears aren't carrying 9 TEs on the 53 man come the end of preseason) mixed with all the complaints Jimmy Graham being old/washed up and still unable to block.

He's the best all around TE in the draft and the position got better last night, and its all sour/negative. He comps to Kyle Rudolph (also taken #43 overall for context), yes he can block (he clearly has to get bigger/get better at the pro level) and had to do it a lot for ND's bad QB play in 2019. Nobody would be complaining with that kind of production (especially given bears' recent production at the position). But in the 'instant-gratification' world we live in where reactions are abrupt with the witless logic (all over CCS) of insinuating because Pace struck out in the 2nd round at TE before/struck out on everything except Zach Miller, Kmet has no chance before he plays a damned down--that's not good enough for a lot of fans.

They want Gronk production for 16 games when this kid will start as the TE2 and will get plenty of playing time seeing as how Graham can't block in important run situations.

I like the Kmet pick. Pace got the widely-considered top TE in the draft in the 2nd round.

I disagree. I'm fine passing on Chinn. Dude's a hammer/box safety who's weaknesses include:

Plays through a straw when asked to cover, losing play development around him, Bait routes pull him out of deep coverage duties, Could struggle in digesting combo routes, Will need to eliminate head-ducking as chop-down tackler

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jeremy-chinn?id=32194348-4965-0621-179b-1e6fa9b75e74

So a guy who can defend the pass perfectly if he's in the right spot but is oft unable to be in the right spot because he's busy biting on underneath routes other players on the D will be assigned to, unable to read developing plays, and tackles like Brandon Merriweather?

On top of that, he played 2nd/3rd rate collegiate competition and now is jumping to the pro level competition where he has to defend real receivers and TEs?

The kid will be eaten alive by competent QBs at the pro level. Not that he cant be successful/be put in the right position, but he'll have a very steep learning curve. I cant say even if they did draft him that he would be a 100% lock to beat out the resigned Dion Bush by week 1.

IMO, that's not a player you drop a 2nd round on if you have very limited draft capital.

I think CB2 is more important than a SS (especially given Pace just paid big $$ for the all pro starting at FS). Adrian Amos--the guy we miss was a 5th rounder. That, and if your pass rush is good enough, a bad or even below average SS is easy to mask, whereas a CB2 is not. Opposing offenses cant go the route of getting rid of the ball quickly (within 2 seconds of it being snapped) to offset the pass rush and pick on the SS (unless Pagano schemes him on the LOS--which wont be the vast majority of the time). Play will have to develop 3+ seconds for that.

CB2 on the other hand? Absolutely QBs can pick on him getting rid of the ball quickly.

The all-pro CFL kid wasn't an all-pro in the NFL. Artie Burns is trash. Kevin Tolliver has flashed but consistency is his current question mark--we don't know what he is. Meanwhile, Pace resigned Bush and signed FA Jordan Lucas for depth at SS, and still has 5 more draft picks today, the undrafted FA signing period, and future/upcoming summer camp cuts--and you probably aren't finding a starting CB is those situations.

 

Just watched Kmet's BC tape. Saw two decent examples of run blocking. Gives me optimism that he can develop that end of his game. He is a good pass blocker.

He is faster vertically than I initially gave him credit for. He still doesn't have elite fluidity, but his straightline speed is definitely above average for a guy his size. He's going to make plays in the NFL catching LB's or SS's getting lazy / keeping their eyes in the backfield. The more I watch him, the more I have faith he can be a threat in the middle of the field, over or under.

The BC game is the first example of a ball that was in his catch radius that he didn't pull down. And his QB really made it difficult on him. One drop out of four games, with as many balls as he had thrown his way... I like that.

 

Thanks D-line and Patg for the scouting.

I want a guy who is a reliable target, who is not soft, and who can run block effectively. If Kmet check's all those boxes, I'll be fine with the pick.

 

I agree with Pat, that a lot of people are making stupid complaints about him. Hell, I saw more people than I could stomach say, "We already have 9 TE's, we don't need another one!". It almost made me vomit.

He's not spectacular. I don't think he ever will be. But I've watched seven of his 2019 games so far, and have seen him drop one sh**ty pass. I saw him catch tons of sh**ty passes. He is a constant threat in the middle at the collegiate level, so I think with some refinement the same will be said of him in the NFL. His run blocking is a negative, and will need the most work. But he has the size to do it well, if he can learn. He had decent blocking games against lesser talent in UVA and BC. He's not "receiver only" bad. Good pass blocker.

He's reliable, and he's not soft. Two of three boxes, at the moment.

 

Dude, really? You Google Chinn’s name and take one guy’s opinion as if it’s gospel?

The guy is gonna be a fucking beast strong safety eventually. Look at his tape. Yeah, he played at SIU, but watch the tape. He’s a football player, period.

 

Totally agree. Viewed in isolation this is not a pick you hate. Its still way too high imo, but you don't hate it. And I like the fact he's a Chicago kid.

Problem is we don't have the luxury of viewing this pick in isolation. This offense will not go as far Cole Kmet will take it. Or Jimmy Graham can take it. Or even >insert QB<. It will go as far as the O-Line can take it. The O-Line was a train wreck last year. From where im sitting its still a train wreck now.

If that's your criteria then fair enough. But to me that's a late3rd/4th round description and in a loaded draft class I expect a hell of a lot more from the #43pick. I hope Kmet can bring more.


On the bright side ive started doing a little reading re the CB. That pick has gotten quite a lot of love to my slight surprise. After the Kmet pick i'd still have gone OL over Johnson no question, but hopefully he can give me some crow to nibble on over the years.

 

And I think he would've thrived in this D surrounded by these players too.

Pagano doesn't use nearly as many exotic looks/packages as Fangio did, its all more straightforward. That's plays to minimize a perceived weakness in any football IQ. But more than that, when you think about how often Jackson would come down to play in box enforcer last season, now imagine Chinn doing that instead with Jackson staying deep..... sad emoji.

 

He went 64th overall (last pick of the 2nd round) and was the 5th safety taken. Yeah that doesn't sound like a guy who "was a first rounder in some circles" as you suggested earlier. He was Carolina's 3rd guy drafted.

He's a tremendous athlete without topline speed (but plus speed nonetheless) and has very fluid movements. He balled out against lesser competition, yes. One man's word isn't gospel, no. Can he fix his weaknesses in the right situation and be what you say he is? Absolutely. He'd still be a project and will have a big learning curve given levels of talent he'll be elevating to.

He'd be an absolute luxury compared to the need for talent at CB2 on defense. I can't consider him a bigger need than OLine or TE either.

 

I wouldn’t pull that out of my ass. I saw him picked at the end of the first round in two different mock drafts. Got better things to do than make shit up to support my opinion with other guys’ opinions.

Because that’s all this whole draft crap shoot is - just a bunch of guys’ opinions. We disagree on Chinn, that’s cool. Time will tell.

 

For Pace the bar is so low, and it's especially low for TEs. Normally I would demand/expect more from a 2nd round pick but even playing the position at an average level would be a substantial upgrade for the position on the roster.