COLE KMET: 2020 DYNASTY ROOKIE PROFILE
Position: TE
School: Notre Dame
Class: Junior
Date of Birth: March 10, 1999
Height: 6-6 Weight: 262lbs
ATHLETIC TESTING
40-Time: 4.70
Speed Score: 106.8 (83rd-percentile)
Burst Score: 126.3 (88th-percentile)
Cole Kmet Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile via PlayerProfiler.com
BIO
Kmet held 16 offers as a prep player out of Illinois and chose the Notre Dame Fighting Irish over Iowa and Kentucky. He is a dual-sport athlete and joined the Irish as a TE and closer for their baseball team. Notre Dame’s website notes that Kmet played in all 13 games of his freshman season, but was used sparingly as a receiver until his junior year. That same season he would explode on the national landscape with a nine catch, 108-yard performance against powerhouse Georgia. This was the first game Kmet returned after suffering a broken collarbone during the 2019 preseason.
See Where Cole Kmet Lands In Our 2020 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
The stats do not jump off of the page, but a junior season with 43 catches for 515 yards and six TDs is impressive for a TE, especially when you consider his total games played and having Chase Claypool on the roster. He is much more than your typical collegiate TE who is a glorified WR. Kmet brings a tenacity at the point of attack as an attached blocker.
Kmet blew up the combine. A 4.70 40-yard-dash at 262 pounds is quite impressive. Add this to 37” vertical jump and a 10’3” broad jump, you can see Kmet is an explosive athlete. Kmet posted a disappointing 3-cone time of 7.44, but considering the length of Kmet, this is an adequate time.
COLLEGE STATS
Cole Kmet College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference.com
POSITIVES
+4.3 catch, 51.5 yard receiving average during final season
+Size/weight/speed freak
+Ideal red zone threat
+Notre Dame pedigree
Lots of good stuff from the combine today… but man Cole Kmet is WILD
— Big Cat (@ffbigcat) February 28, 2020
NEGATIVES
-Middle of the road analytics (20.6% dominator, 20.5 breakout age)
-One season of college production
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Best Comparable Player (PlayerProfiler): Vance McDonald
NFL Draft Projection: Day 2
BOTTOM LINE
Kmet falls into the same category of collegiate TE as T.J. Hockenson from the 2019 NFL Draft class. Hockenson produced more in college as a receiver, but Kmet provides a similar athletic profile and prowess to be a two-dimensional TE. I think Hockenson has a much higher ceiling as a receiver, but it is not out of the realm of possibilities to see Kmet become one of the premier red-zone threats in the NFL. A 6-foot-6 player with a 37” vertical is someone who can play above the rim and win contested catches in the end zone. Kmet will never be a high-volume receiver, but projects on the high end to have a ceiling similar to Tyler Eifert in the red zone.
With a weak TE class, his outstanding athleticism numbers and Notre Dame pedigree, Kmet is firmly my TE1 in the 2020 class. He should find himself as the top TE selected in the NFL Draft and should be a target for you during the second round of your rookie drafts.
Resources: UND.com, PlayerProfiler, NFL.com, 247Sports.com
