The New England Patriots are in desperate need of a tight end, so it would not be shocking if Bill Belichick and Co. opted to draft one in the first round.
Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports has them doing just that, as he predicts that the Patriots will select Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet with the 23rd overall pick of the NFL Draft this spring.
When Rob Gronkowski retired at the end of last season, it left New England with a gaping hole that it was unable to fill.
The Pats tried reuniting with Ben Watson, but he ended up being a bust of a signing. Matt LaCosse was viewed as a sleeper by some, but he logged just 13 catches on the year.
Suddenly, the Patriots were longing for the days of a hobbled Gronkowski dragging himself up and down the field.
Kmet arrived at Notre Dame back in 2017 and barely played during his freshman season, tallying just two grabs for 14 yards. His role grew a bit during his sophomore campaign, as he finished with 15 catches for 162 yards.
Then, this past season, Kmet broke out, hauling in 43 receptions for 515 yards and six touchdowns.
At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Kmet has terrific size for the tight end position, and his solid speed also allows him to outrun linebackers. Of course, linebackers are quite a bit quicker in the professional level, but Kmet seems to have enough athletic ability to be just fine.
New England won 12 games and captured the AFC East division title this year, but fell to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
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