Is Chicago Bears rookie Cole Kmet the next Jimmy Graham? He very well might be if Graham is to be believed. Speaking to the media following practice on Thursday, Graham heaped praise on the rookie.
“His football intelligence, and his ability to soak in these plays, understand his assignments, and to understand football and defenses is extremely impressive for a young kid,” Graham said. “That's been the most impressive thing that I can say I notice with him. Also, he's every bit of 260. He reminds me a young me. He's got big legs and the amount of potential that the kid has and the amount of talent that he has is truly unbelievable.”
That's high praise from the five-time Pro Bowler, who has had success everywhere he has gone in the league. Making the Bears his fourth team of his career this offseason, he will be sure to impart his wisdom from his 10 years in the NFL to the rookie to make his statement become a reality.
Kmet has held his own in practice thus far, lining up opposite Khalil Mack in his first padded practice, a moment he called his “Welcome to the NFL” moment. He hasn't been phased the vaunted Bears defense thus far, which is a good sign for his pro-game adjustment.
The Bears rookie returned the favor to Graham while talking to the media, mentioning that he's excited to learn from the veteran.
“My goal is every day to get better and find something every day to work on, some of the fine points of football, working technique on blocks or things like that,” Kmet said. “I just pick some things every day to work on and continually get better. I know this is a long process in terms of becoming a complete football player, so being able to learn from guys like Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris”
Coming out of Notre Dame, Cole Kmet was drafted by the Bears in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Kmet was a two-sport athlete with the Fighting Irish, also playing baseball in South Bend. He missed the first three games of the 2019 college football season with a broken collarbone.
Follow Us
Subscribe