Patriots: Cole Kmet breakout makes Pats’ TE draft look even worse

The New England Patriots passed on Cole Kmet in the 2020 draft and opted for Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi. Why?

When the Patriots embarked on their 2020 NFL Draft journey, featuring Bill Belichick in a remote location with a strange dog by his side, there seemed to be only one certainty: The team would come away with some sort of clear tight end solution.

And Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet, probably available with New England’s first pick, felt like a round peg looking for a round hole.

But Belichick had a plan — and, predictably, that plan involved trading back, making the Patriots’ first selection No. 37. Have no fear! Kmet was still available, which is why the Pats chose … Division-II safety Kyle Dugger. Typical Belichick, but in an entirely different way.

You know how this story ends by now, don’t you? Kmet went 43rd to the Bears, potentially the most confusing possible landing spot. If the Pats were a round hole, then Chicago, replete with seven rostered tight ends, was a nebulous pile of mashed potatoes with a, “No pegs, please!” sign affixed to it. And on Sunday, Kmet finally arrived with a touchdown catch in traffic, adding to his resumé, highlighted by highly effective and well-praised blocking through the season’s first several weeks.

The Patriots? Well, they took the tight end tandem of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in the third round, both of whom are making the exact opposite of noise.

In fact, Asiasi continues to sniff the field, but hasn’t been targeted even once on the campaign by Cam Newton. Newton, who loves to utilize tight ends up the seam like Alpha Dog Greg Olsen, hasn’t looked Asiasi’s way once, preferring James White as his safety valve.

Any way you slice it, it’s not good, and the light is shining especially brightly this week thanks to Kmet getting on the board.

For 2021 and beyond, perhaps Asiasi and Keene meld into a powerful duo that combine blocking skills and pass-catching ability. And, of course, the Patriots had no idea they’d luck into a quarterback who prefers veteran tight ends when they made the Keene/Asiasi picks.

But watching Kmet grow before our eyes while this duo peters out, and New England’s solution in Ryan Izzo coughs up a fumble in key moment on Sunday, is quite jarring.

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