Notre Dame Football NFL Draft fits: Cole Kmet and the Dallas Cowboys

Facing Jason Witten’s possible retirement and potential salary cap constraints, Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet is an ideal draft target for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys head into the 2020 NFL Draft needing to turn their attention towards the future of the tight end position. Last year, future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten decided to leave the broadcasting booth to return to the NFL.

Playing in his 16th season in the league, Witten would have 63 receptions for 529 yards and four receiving touchdowns for the Cowboys. While those numbers are impressive for someone who took a year off from playing, they remain pedestrian as the leading tight end for the team.

Following the conclusion of the season, Witten was non-committal about his future. There was speculation that he could follow former coach Jason Garrett to the New York Giants in a role as a player or a coach. However, those rumors have dissipated as time has elapsed, especially with the Giants naming former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens as their new tight ends coach.

Whether Witten decides to return to the Cowboys next season or not, the team needs to address a future replacement for the legend. If he remains on the team, the team could draft his replacement and allow the legend to help mentor the young player.

If Witten leaves, Dallas has only Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz as their remaining tight ends on the roster. Jarwin, a third-year player out of Oklahoma State University, had 31 receptions, 365 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season. Meanwhile, Schultz, who was in his second season out of Stanford, managed one catch for 6 yards on the year.

After dishing out hefty contract extensions to running back Ezekiel Elliott, tackle La’el Collins and former Notre Dame star linebacker Jaylon Smith totaling $205.5 million, the Cowboys still have to extend quarterback Dak Prescott and superstar wide receiver Amari Cooper to extensions.

Due to all of the money that the Cowboys have committed to locking up their core players and the amount that they are anticipated to shell out to Dak — and potentially to the pending free agent Cooper — they will need to add relatively inexpensive offensive weapons through the draft.

Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet is an ideal target for the Cowboys in the upcoming draft. The 6’5″, 250-pound star makes the perfect candidate as the replacement for Jason Witten, regardless of when he decides to retire from the game of football.

Kmet represents the top tight end in the 2020 NFL draft and is ranked ahead of Brycen Hopkins from Purdue, Washington’s Hunter Byrant and Jared Pinkney of Vanderbilt in nearly every draft expert’s rankings. He is expected to be selected in the late first or second round of the draft.

A two-sport athlete who is the closer for the Irish baseball team, Kmet is an athletic tight end who possesses excellent route running abilities and soft hands. He utilizes his size well to create mismatches with defenders in the middle of the field.

Kmet is smooth in his play, has superb hand-eye coordination, and is not afraid to take a hit while running routes across the middle. He uses his size and concentration to make catches look routine, even when he has defenders draped all over him.

Despite lacking elite speed, Kmet’s route running ability and high football IQ allow him to gain separation against defenders. While he is currently a solid in-line blocker, he has limited blocking experience and tends to get beaten easily in one-on-one situations. Due to this fact, he currently is more of a receiving tight end than a blocking tight end.

With adequate size and strength, Kmet has the tools at his disposal to become a much better blocker in the NFL. He currently projects as an every-down player at the tight end position. The current NFL players that Kmet draws the most comparisons to are ironically two former Notre Dame tight ends, Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert.

If the Dallas Cowboys are able to land Cole Kmet in the draft, they will have successfully found a player who has the skill set to become the future of the franchise at tight end. If he can improve upon his blocking technique and is able to contribute along the highly touted Dallas offensive line that contains multiple Pro Bowl players including former Notre Dame star guard Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith, the offense will be even scarier.

If Kmet is unable to make much improvement in his ability to block, the Cowboys will still reap the benefits of having an excellent receiving option at the tight end position. Look for them to target Kmet if he is available when the team is on the clock.