Drafted by the Chicago bears in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Cole Kmet is quickly building his offensive reputation. The former Notre Dame standout hasn’t produced elite numbers just yet but he’s improved as the seasons have gone on.
And one stat has him in the same category as former Bears tight end Greg Olsen as Bill Zimmerman points out via Twitter:
Stats without context:
Greg Olsen- most receiving yards for #Bears in one season: 612
Cole Kmet- receiving yards last season for Bears: 612
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) April 11, 2022
Is Kmet going to fill Olsen’s shoes at tight end? That’s a difficult question to answer when there is a myriad of factors to consider when discussing the Bears offense. When analyzing the stat sheets between 2009 Olsen and 2021 Kmet, they are nearly identical except for one stat — touchdowns. Kmet recorded zero touchdowns in the 2021 season, whereas Olsen recorded eight touchdowns in the 2009 season.
Looking past the touchdowns though, Kmet’s performance at tight end does indeed mimic Olsen’s performance, especially when considering these stats come from their rookie seasons. In Olsen’s 2009 season with the Bears, he recorded 612 receiving yards and averaged 10.2 yards per reception. Now fast forward to the 2021 season where Kmet also received for 612 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per reception. Deja vu? Yes.
Sure, Olsen recorded more touchdowns, but Kmet had a higher catching percentage with 64.5 percent. Meanwhile, Olsen had a 55.6 percent catching percentage. That’s nearly a 10 percent catching percentage difference which could be arguably takeaway from the difference in the touchdown stats. Tight end had been a perennial problem previously, however that has been solved with the presence of Kmet.
Bears fans should be optimistic when it comes to Chicago’s bright offensive future. Kmet is still a young, talented tight end and has a lot of football ahead of him. As the No. 2 target for the team in 2021, the Bears have a reliable set of hands on the offensive line and someone they can rely on to gain yards and get into scoring position.
With some changes in the Bears’ offense, Kmet has an incredible opportunity to grow as a tight end, especially if he continues to be a top relied on target. Kmet is the real deal, and he does indeed impersonate a young Olsen.
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