Chicago Bears 2020 NFL Draft Preview: Tight End
What does the tight end position look like in the 2020 NFL draft, and which fits the Chicago Bears?
As we have gone position by position through previewing the 2020 NFL draft, we have come to the tight end position. Remember, we are looking for trying to predict who they will draft rather than who we want them to. With the Chicago Bears paying up to sign Jimmy Graham, while also having Trey Burton on the books, it would be hard to make the case to invest more in the tight end position.
On the other hand, Matt Nagy has talked adamantly about how much he needs the tight end to be thriving to run an offense to his desires. With that in mind, and with age and injuries for Graham and Burton, it still could be a position they look at?
Round 2 Options
According to the average mock draft rankings, all tight ends have a chance to be available for the Chicago Bears. Below are the tight ends that go on average between pick 40 and pick 90.
Cole Kmet, Adam Trautman, Albert Okwuebunam, Hunter Bryant, Brycen Hopkins
When looking at the thresholds that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace have had historically on tight ends, Brycen Hopkins checks what they look for in tight ends the most, followed by Albert O, and Kmet.
Bryant and Trautman did not have the speed that a typical Nagy or Pace tight end would show.
Kmet has been the consensus top tight end option. His size is his most attractive trait, and he could get on the field with Graham and Burton as an additional in-line blocker. He also provides red-zone ability. His best comparable from a size and athleticism perspective is Martellus Bennett, which would be a nice boost to the offense.
Hopkins checks a lot of boxes, but is less of an in-line blocker, and does fall closer to 90 on most mock drafts. Hopkins can create after the catch but does struggle with contested catches. Here is our draft profile on his best NFL comparisons. Albert O is a big-time red-zone threat, and his 4.49 40 showed a lot of upside to what he can do with the ball in his hands. His route tree is limited to drags, curls, and fades in the red zone, but on a crosser, he can pick up speed quickly, and in the red area, he has massive size. There are rarely any misses at his size and speed, although the extent of the hit varies. Here are the best comparisons for him.
Of the three, Kmet feels the least likely to be a reach, and all three could contribute, but you would feel more comfortable with these options in round three or later.
Likely to miss out on
If they view Hopkins and Albert O as round three options, they are very likely to miss out on Thaddeus Moss, Harrison Bryant, Colby Parkinson, and Devin Asiasi. None are great fits for what Nagy typically drafts in a tight end, and all consistently see themselves getting drafted between three, and round four, well outside of all of the Bears picks at this point. They would have to reach, trade back or trade up to add these.
Round 5-6 Options
Below you can see options that go on consensus near where the Bears fifth and sixth-round picks are. It seems as if they are going to add tight end, this would be more likely than round two.
Jared Pinkney, Josiah Deguara, Jacob Breeland, C.J. O’Grady, Stephen Sullivan, Dalton Keene
According to that study that looked at historical tight ends, Sullivan is the best fit for the Nagy mold. Pinkney is going to be off of their board with a 4.9 40-yard dash time, and O’Grady has had multiple locker room issues at Arkansas, which does not seem like a fit based on who the Bears have drafted recently.
Breeland is worth mentioning because he tore his ACL, and could have gone higher otherwise. Still, drafting another banged up tight end seems harsh for a position where Matt Nagy is looking for reliable depth if Burton is too unhealthy.
Deguara and Keene are sleepers. They are a bit slower than Nagy standards, but they both have had experience in the H-Back role. You can argue they are two of the best blockers in the class as well. The versatility of adding an H-back who can also line-up in-line is the most intriguing idea in this round. We have written about Keene, who would have the highest upside in NFL application.
However, Sullivan, a former wide receiver turned tight end at LSU, is the name to follow. He is fast, can jump, and is working on his blocking. He would be a red zone threat as a rookie but would be unlikely to contribute, which may lead the Bears to hope he falls to round 7.
Round 7 Options
Below are the options who, in most seven-round mock drafts, do see themselves getting drafted. Any other players have been consistently mocked as UDFAs.
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Charlie Taumopeau, Mitchell Wilcox, Sean McKeon
Taumopeau checks all of the boxes they look for in a tight end. Wilcox and McKeon are too slow, which is why they have fallen this far. Taumopeau is from a small school, which alerts sirens for Ryan Pace, and has the upside attached. If they were to go tight end round seven, he would have to be the guy.