Notre Dame football: 2020 NFL rookies struggling outside of Chase Claypool
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame football: 2020 NFL rookies struggling outside of Chase Claypool
Kmet and Claypool
Heading into the 2020 NFL Draft, there were plenty of scouts who believed that tight end Cole Kmet could have been a first-round pick. Blessed with that uncanny ability to make plays happen in the passing game, while also being a solid blocker, there were not many players ahead of him in his position group.
In fact, Kmet was the first tight end off the board, and rightfully so, as he was coming off a season that saw him haul in six touchdown passes in 2019. The Chicago Bears have had issues at quarterback all season long, which has hurt Kmet’s development, but he had his best game as a pro the last time out, grabbing five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Kmet landed in the second round alongside Chase Claypool, who may not have been one of the elite prospects expect to land in the first round at wide receiver, but he has churned out a better rookie season than all of them. The 2020 draft class was loaded with wide receiver talent, with six going in the first round.
Two more wide receivers kicked off the second round, and two more were picked before Claypool was selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 49 overall selection. Claypool saw ten wide receivers picked ahead of him in the 2020 NFL Draft, and none of them have found the end zone more than he has as a rookie.