Chicago Bears (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace hoping for a “do-over” this time.
They say that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The same holds true for Chicago Bears general manager, Ryan Pace who is looking to avoid making the same mistake twice with his selection of Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet.
If this particular draft pick had a theme, it would be redemption. Back in 2017, Pace had his eyes on another tall, physical, athletic tight end in the second round who drew comparisons to Rob Gronkowski. Fast forward three years, and not only has Adam Shaheen been a monumental bust, but he’s been rumored to be on the trade block.
Shortly after the news that Shaheen could be on the move and the contemporaneous release of oft-injured Trey Burton, Pace once again set his sights on a big, athletic tight end, who is drawing comparisons to — you guessed it — Rob Gronkowski.
As the great Yogi Berra once remarked, “it feels like deja-vu all over again.” Though this time around, Pace is certainly hoping for a much different outcome. For his sake, the outcome better be different, as immediately following his selection of Kmet, three players who would have been terrific fits with the Bears (Grant Delpit, Antoine Winfield, and KJ Hamler) came off the board.
In doing so, Pace widened the bullseye on his back. He opted to draft for need over best player available, despite the inherent problems that come with such a strategy. Look, I get it, the tight end position is an important one in Matt Nagy’s offense. However, it is exceedingly rare that a rookie tight end makes any meaningful contributions in their first year.
Under normal circumstances, there would be no concern with allowing Kmet to develop at his own pace. However, the fanbase is growing restless and expectations are to win now with this roster. If he fails to contribute in year one, the groans will become more audible. If he goes the way of Shaheen, he’ll be out of a job.
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Of course, fans are hoping that Pace has learned from his mistakes — particularly when it comes to evaluating the tight end position which, like the quarterback, has not been his strength (Burton, Dion Sims, Shaheen immediately come to mind).
Kmet will hit the ground with a lot of fanfare and support, especially being a local kid who appears to be over the moon at the prospect of playing for the hometown Bears. If he develops into the type of player Pace hopes and needs him to be, well, then, the Bears will have hit the jackpot. Here’s hoping for the latter.
