Ignore Pace and the next NFL executive who swears for the umpteenth time that they draft the best player available in the first or second rounds that tend to define general managers and most determine their futures. It’s a myth magnified by Pace’s actions when the Bears finally were on the clock Friday evening. Needs must be weighed as heavily as wants for NFL teams with incomplete rosters, and the Bears entered the draft with the most glaring holes at cornerback, tight end, wide receiver, safety and the offensive line. They addressed all of those pressing areas of need except safety, where veteran Deon Bush gives the Bears an acceptable option. They resisted any temptation to add a running back or quarterback, shiny offensive toys that coach Matt Nagy might have enjoyed but luxuries the Bears simply couldn’t afford if Pace truly is serious about winning now.
Good for Pace in showing such discipline. Now, along with signing free-agent upgrades at quarterback and edge rusher, the easiest general manager target in town realistically has put the Bears in position to contend for the NFC North title again by taking a pragmatic approach.
But drafting Kmet was as practical as it was popular.
He’s a strong 6-foot-6-inch, 262-pound athlete who runs well and embraces the physical part of his job. He’s a 21-year-old whose versatility enabled him to be Notre Dame’s closer on the baseball team but has yet to focus on a singular sport the way he can now. He’s a young man unlikely to be fazed by anything in a passionate fan base that he belongs to who comes from one of America’s most publicized college football programs and grew up with a father, Frank, a former Bear, and an uncle, Jeff Zgonina, who played in the NFL for 17 years. Yes, he also became the 10th tight end on the Bears, an amusing but largely irrelevant detail. Consider that once you find a suit that fits comfortably, it really doesn’t matter how many others you tried on first.
It’s illogical to think the Bears should have avoided drafting Kmet because they had Jesper Horsted, Ben Braunecker or J.P. Holtz on the roster. Kmet gives the Bears a more traditional tight end – the in-line Y role in Nagy’s scheme that requires more blocking – that complements 33-year-old free-agent addition Jimmy Graham, a pass-catching threat who’s a potential mismatch in the red zone. Kmet’s highlight reel includes catches made and blocks executed against elite college football programs, not overmatched defenders at smaller schools or divisions. Notre Dame’s recent history of producing quality NFL tight ends like Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph offers even more credibility.
Keep in mind that taking a cornerback as highly regarded as Johnson later in the second round also made the Kmet pick easier for Pace to justify. The defensible logic: It was more likely one of three cornerbacks the Bears could have lived with still would be there at No. 50 than Kmet – the first tight end off the board. And Johnson was, the first cornerback taken in the second round ahead of Trevon Diggs and Kristian Fulton and the seventh overall.
At 6-foot and 193 pounds, Johnson blends the kind of size and physicality necessary for the position. He compares favorably to new teammate and fellow cornerback Kyle Fuller. Johnson's press coverage skills came in handy in a Pac-12 that threw the ball downfield early and often, and he usually drew the assignment of covering the opponent’s No. 1 wide receiver. His injury history with torn labrums bears watching but, if healthy, Johnson projects as high-character, low-risk replacement for Prince Amukamara. His indoctrination into the NFL ideally will be eased by a pass rush that's the strength of the Bears' defense.
Pace’s selections on the third day figure to have a harder time finding their way, but that’s typically true for any late-round draft pick.
Outside linebacker Trevis Gipson of Tulsa – fifth round, pick No. 155 – supports what Pace said earlier in the week about a team never having enough pass rushers or cornerbacks. Gipson’s 6-foot-3-inch, 261-pound body needs a little bulk and his technique requires a lot of polish, but you can’t coach the kind of athleticism he possesses.
The book on cornerback Kindle Vildor of Georgia Southern – fifth round, pick No. 163 – was that he projected an ideal nickel back at 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds, so perhaps the Bears give him a look there behind Buster Skrine. Vildor fits the profile of the kind of late-round, small-school special teams player whom Pace likes to draft and will have a good chance to make the roster.
The same goes for wide receiver Darnell Mooney of Tulane – fifth round, pick No. 173 – who will get a long look at filling the void left by speedster Taylor Gabriel. Mooney can fly, clocking a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine that gives him an element the offense lacked without Gabriel. Nagy also complimented Mooney’s route-running ability. As explosive as Mooney could be after the catch at Tulane, the true test will come in how well he picks up an intricate offense and applies it on Sundays. Fellow Bears receiver Anthony Miller can tell him it’s not always as simple as it looks.
The two offensive linemen the Bears drafted in the seventh round – Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons – likely will land on the practice squad to develop. By the time they’re ready for the NFL, chances are Chicago will have learned all about the origins of their unique names. The paucity of young offensive linemen on the Bears before the draft – at one point I considered it a mandate that Pace take a guard or tackle in the second round – became less urgent with the signings of free-agent linemen Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs, both former high draft picks on prove-it deals.
In the most unorthodox of NFL drafts, Pace took a more conventional route – and that could mean a shorter path back to the playoffs.