5 comparisons to Cole Kmet rookie season with Chicago Bears
4. Richard Rogers
Fans may not be enthralled to see this, but Richard Rodgers was still contributing in 2020 and was a third-round pick in 2014. He was not a huge hit, but not a bust either.
The big similarity, beyond the stats below, is the run blocking ability. Rodgers, like Kmet, did not grade out quite as elite as Kyle Rudolph.
| Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | Rece | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | From | To | AV | G | Rec | Yds | TD | Y/R | Lng |
| 1 | Cole Kmet | 2020 | 2020 | 2 | 16 | 28 | 243 | 2 | 8.7 | 38 |
| 2 | Richard Rodgers | 2014 | 2014 | 3 | 16 | 20 | 225 | 2 | 11.3 | 43 |
In fact, Kmet had a 57.1 grade, while Rodgers had a 57.3. You can really see the similarity there. Beyond that, Kmet had eight more catches, but only for 18 more yards. So, Rodgers certainly had better yards per reception rate, but Kmet was seeing a bit more work.
Rodgers had his career year in his second NFL season and failed to match that. After four years, the Packers let him walk in free agency. Still, in his second season, he did double his season total as a rookie. He put up 510 yards.