Notre Dame football: Cole Kmet is the best tight end in the 2020 NFL draft

Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet is the best tight end available in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. This is due to his size, speed, and potential.

On Tuesday Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet was asked if he believes he is the best tight end in the upcoming NFL draft. His answer was simple, “I do.”

Short, sweet, confident, and correct. There are a few good tight ends in this draft, like LSU’s Thaddeus Moss, Washington’s Hunter Bryant, and Vanderbilt’s Jared Pinkney. However, none are as good as Irish superstar Kmet.

In a career where Kmet spent his first two seasons as a back-up, and lost time his junior (and final) season to injury, he still managed to finish 8th all-time among Notre Dame tight ends in career catches, with 60.

Kmet blends size and speed better than any other tight end in the 2020 class. He’s 6′ 6” and 262-pounds and there isn’t a defensive back alive who can cover him. The physical difference is too severe. Take into account that Kmet is expected to run a sub-4.7 time in the 40-yard dash and you quickly recognize that linebackers won’t be able to keep up with Kmet.

That’s probably why Kmet is so good at stretching the field vertically. He’s as quick as any true tight end, allowing him to blow by defenders. Meanwhile, his size makes it impossible for defensive backs to go and get the ball ahead of him. Add in his impressive ball skills, and there is no better pass-catching tight end in the draft.

When asked why he feels he’s the best tight end in the draft, Kmet spoke to his balance at the position, “I’m able to go inline, split out, kind of do all of the things that tight ends do these days… I just feel like my ability to do both, blocking and split out wide and receiving, is kind of unique in that sense.”

He’s right, of course. Kmet is a true tight end and not a wide receiver who happens to weigh 240-pounds. So many tight ends in the modern game don’t know how to put their hand in the ground, and many others don’t want to block. Kmet is enthusiastic about doing everything that needs to be done.

If there is a knock on Kmet, it’s that he isn’t strong enough. That will change, though, as he has the frame and work ethic to build himself up quickly. Especially, since he’ll have the resources of an NFL organization. Adding mass and strength will help him to get off jams, and improve in run blocking schemes.

As a run blocker, Kmet has struggled due to not being strong enough, and some minor technique issues. What’s good here is that none of it has ever been effort-related. The reality is that Kmet is only 20-years old, so he’s young, and can be molded by whichever NFL team selects him.

Today, Kmet is a deadly receiving threat with the size of a Rob Gronkowski type of player. Given his youth and obvious potential, it’s impossible to say there is a better tight end in this year’s NFL draft than Cole Kmet.