2. Cole Kmet is 6’6″,262 pounds
That is taller and thicker than your average tight end. Beyond that, he posted a 4.7 40-yard dash time. That does not impress many, but it is in the 73rd percentile amongst tight ends, and his weight-adjusted speed is in the 83rd percentile. He is creating momentum with his movements like only the top NFL athletes.
He posted a 37″ vertical, which is in the 90th percentile amongst tight ends, and a 10’3″ broad, which is in the 92nd percentile. This is an upper-level athlete. His burst score, which combines the two and adjusts for weight, is in the same tier.
Combining his height, arm length, and burst also puts his catch radius score in the 66th percentile. His biggest issue athletically is his change of direction and agility. His straight-line speed and burst are elite for NFL players, but his 20-yard shuttle was in the 51st percentile, and his 3-cone was in the 22nd. When adjusting his agility score, he ranks in the 21st percentile amongst tight ends.
We did a pre-draft write up on Kmet that looked into how his combine scores translated to the NFL. There are only so many people to have his size, speed, burst, and questionable agility; how have they fared?
Here is the list of the 27 players to have a similar combine over the past 20 years. When you add in that he was a second-round pick, showing that the NFL knew there was a talent to invest in, the list goes down a bit further. Here are the 15 top 100 picks from that list.
Jason Witten, Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Marcedes Lewis, Jermaine Gresham, Jerramy Stevens, Mark Andrews, Vance McDonald, Clark Harris, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Ben Troupe, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ian Thomas, Jace Amaro, Mike Seidman
Of those 15, there are a couple of busts, but the hit rate of a big, explosive, tight end drafted high in the NFL draft is pretty good. If you are looking for a style of player comparison, those are the names to look into. The Martellus Bennett comparison may be the best to Cole Kmet from an on the field perspective.