Bears open draft by taking TE Cole Kmet, CB Jaylon Johnson

Cole Kmet grew up in the Chicago suburbs cheering for Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and former star tight end Greg Olsen. His dad, Frank, played on the Bears’ practice squad in the early 1990s.

Now, Kmet gets to suit up for his hometown team.

The Bears addressed one of their biggest weaknesses on a struggling offense by drafting the Notre Dame tight end with the No. 43 overall pick Friday night before adding Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson at No. 50.

“I was just so pumped up,” Kmet said.

Bears tight ends combined for just 395 yards last season and none had more than 91 all year. They now have 10 on their roster after taking the sure-handed, 6-foot-6 Kmet, who started 11 games as a junior last season after missing the first two because of a broken collarbone and caught 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns.

Kmet grew up about 45 miles northwest of Soldier Field in suburban Lake Barrington and starred in football and baseball for St. Viator High School. The White Sox showed interest in drafting him out of high school. He even worked out for them at their ballpark, but opted to play both sports at Notre Dame, where he ultimately focused on football.

With the Bears, he will get to work with one of this generation’s most accomplished tight ends in Jimmy Graham. Chicago signed the veteran, hoping the five-time Pro Bowl pick can regain the form that made him a star for New Orleans and Seattle before getting released by Green Bay.

Kmet said he models his game after Rob Gronkowski. Either way, the Bears are banking on bigger things.

Kmet was home in Arlington Heights, where he recently moved, with his immediate family and girlfriend when he got the call. It got disconnected and so did a FaceTime attempt before coach Matt Nagy gave him the news.

“Yeah I know they’ve been looking for a tight end to fit in the room and stuff,” Kmet said. “And I know they just signed Jimmy, and I think I’m a little different type of player than Jimmy in terms of how I play and how I can be used.”

Johnson fills a void in the secondary where the Bears are looking to complement Kyle Fuller. A first-team, All Pac-12 selection the past two seasons, he had two interceptions and a team-high 11 pass breakups as a junior last year.

Chicago came into the night with seven selections over the final two days of the draft. The Bears have a fifth-rounder (163), as well as two each in the sixth (196, 200) and seventh (226, 233).

The Bears had to wait a day to make their first pick because they did not have a first-rounder for the second year in a row. They dealt them to Oakland for star pass rusher Khalil Mack prior to the 2018 season.

The Bears have been busy in the offseason after going 8-8. They came into the year with Super Bowl hopes after winning the NFC North at 12-4, only to miss the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.

They acquired former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles from Jacksonville to compete with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, after the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 struggled in his third season.

The Bears also tweaked their defense, signing former All-Pro pass rusher Robert Quinn to take the pressure off Mack.

Even so, they still came into the draft with plenty of work to do.

The Bears sorely need more playmakers to go with receiver Allen Robinson and lift one of the league’s worst offenses. Help on the line was another priority after Chicago gave up 45 sacks and ranked near the bottom of the NFL at 3.7 yards per rushing attempt.

Even the defense — one of the NFL’s best the past few years — has holes. The Bears could also use a safety to complement Eddie Jackson with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix both gone.

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