Cole Kmet played well for the Chicago Bears in 2022. GM Ryan Poles sang his praises multiple times. It sounds like the Chicago Bears are committed to giving him a contract extension in the near future. That said, it shouldn’t mean they will ignore the position in the draft. While Kmet has looked solid, nobody would mistake him for being one of the best weapons in the league. Poles came from Kansas City, where Travis Kelce has put together a Hall of Fame career. If he could land somebody like that, it could be a game-changer.
Luckily it appears to be an excellent year for tight ends in the 2023 draft. Many experts have called it the deepest group seen in years. Is it possible there is the next Kelce in there somewhere? After watching them work at the scouting combine, one name jumped out as an incredible carbon copy. That is Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave. The dimensions between the two are so similar it’s scary.
Travis Kelce:
- 6’5
- 255 lbs
- 40-yard dash: 4.63 seconds
- Vertical jump: 35 inches
- Broad jump: 124 inches
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- 6’6
- 254 lbs
- 40-yard dash: 4.61 seconds
- Vertical jump: 36 inches
- Broad jump: 125 inches
Musgrave has all the same tools Travis Kelce does.
He’s big, athletic, fast for his size, and he plays the position like a wide receiver with good hands. The critical difference between the two is Musgrave didn’t get to finish his final season. He played two games before going down with an injury that ended his year. Kelce enjoyed a breakout with over 700 yards and eight touchdowns. So there is a little more unknown with Musgrave. That said, the capability is exactly the same. He offers dimensions as a player that Kmet can’t. He has the speed and route-running ability to create separation up the seam.
Think about what the Bears could do if they had the two together at the same time. There is no limit to the offensive creativity coordinator Luke Getsy could unleash. It would give Justin Fields two big, viable targets that opponents will have a hard time matching up against. With the wide receiver group looking much weaker, Poles might be wiser to lean into the strength of this draft class. If Musgrave is available at the right time, he’d be an excellent addition to an offense needing weapons. Keep in mind Travis Kelce went in the 3rd round. The Bears worked with Musgrave at the Senior Bowl. They know what he can do and what he can become.
Tformation. You! nailed it.
1 catch does not a great TE make but… OMG at the combine…
Darnell Washington!
increased his draft stock considerably. That 1 hander… DAAAAAAAAAMN! He’s HUGE too… I’m thinking putting him on a DE would NOT be a mismatch.
not sure where he’s projected to go but 32 GMs and HCs… ALLLLL stopped and way OOOOOOOOH! when he made that catch.
so I’m down with drafting that ‘kid’.
And Adam Shaheen was the next coming of Rob Gronkowski…..
I think Kmet is a great asset and I don’t think he has hit his ceiling yet but there seems to be some pretty strong TE talent with late 1st to 3rd rd grades. Grabbing one as another serious target for Fields may be the better option in that range than the WRs in a relatively weak class (depending on how they drop). Musgrave showing he is healthy again increases the depth of that pool – if he fell to the Bears, they should take him
The rumor is he won’t make it out of the 1st round. Love this kid’s tape and measurables. We, as it sits now, don’t have enough picks to make this happen. Daniel Jeremiah called this the best TE class in more than a decade. The chances therefore of us picking a TE are high. I simply don’t believe we have the firepower to go this high on a TE. I really wished we did.
Yeah Draftwire’s latest mock has Musgrave going to the Dolphins at 51, which raises another topic. Bears had a lot of trouble in the red zone offense and free agent Gesicki is a top notch receiver in the red zone. The extra TE’s create an interesting scenario in the draft. Perhaps Miami won’t be tempted to franchise tag Gesicki this year and perhaps Gesicki’s demands will have to come down to earth given all the TE talent in the draft. Recall that the Chiefs decided to let Tyreek Hill leave and they kept Kelce. I knew it was the right… Read more »