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  6. article_body => "<p>Former Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet knows there\u2019s a chance he could be a Chicago Bear by the end of the week. And it\u2019s not his first opportunity to get drafted by a professional sports team in this city.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, the White Sox were interested in drafting the star pitcher from St. Viator High School. The Lake Barrington native even took batting practice at Guaranteed Rate Field. According to NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler of <em>The Athletic<\/em>, \u201cthe White Sox made him a lucrative six-figure offer to sign and be a fifth-round draft pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI actually had a little workout with the White Sox at (Guaranteed Rate Field), so that was a lot of fun,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/hoge-and-jahns-a-show-about-the-chicago-bears\/id1027584309\" target=\"_blank\">Kmet said on The Hoge &amp; Jahns Podcast Tuesday<\/a>. \u201cBut at the end of the day, it was a dream of mine to play college football at Notre Dame so that was something I couldn't pass up on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/bears\/nfl-mock-draft-2020-bears-and-packers-both-go-after-qbs-early-picks\" target=\"_blank\">RELATED:&nbsp;NFL Mock Draft 2020: Bears and Packers both go after QBs with early picks<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The White Sox ended up drafting right handed pitcher Tyler Johnson in the fifth round that year. Kmet went on to play both baseball and football at Notre Dame.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing able to play both sports was something I wasn't ready to give up on either,\u201d Kmet said about his decision to turn down the White Sox\u2019s interest. \u201cI wanted to play football and baseball and Notre Dame offered that. So that was something that I really couldn't turn down. Obviously, I'm very happy with the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Kmet decided to focus solely on football and after catching 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns last fall, he turned pro. And there\u2019s still a possibility he ends up getting drafted by a Chicago team. According to Kmet, he has had \u201cquite a bit of contact with the Bears,\u201d who hold the No. 43 and No. 50 overall picks in Friday\u2019s second round.<\/p>\n<p>And when asked jokingly if he only turned down the White Sox because he\u2019s a Cubs fan, Kmet laughed and said: \u201cNot only. No.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/22004dc7-62d9-49f7-9af7-6a8fe5df6c76\/embed?theme=dark-custom&primary_color=%23fa4616&playlist_type=latest\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe> \n<em><a href=\"https:\/\/smart.link\/5bb676790335f?site_id=Dig_RSN_Chi&creative_id=nbcschi1140&cp_4=www.nbcsports.com&cp_1=washington&cp_2=myteams-nbc-sports&cp_3=nbcschi1140\">Click here<\/a> to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/bears\">Bears<\/a>.<\/em> \n"
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Bears

Bears

Former Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet knows there’s a chance he could be a Chicago Bear by the end of the week. And it’s not his first opportunity to get drafted by a professional sports team in this city.

In 2017, the White Sox were interested in drafting the star pitcher from St. Viator High School. The Lake Barrington native even took batting practice at Guaranteed Rate Field. According to NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic, “the White Sox made him a lucrative six-figure offer to sign and be a fifth-round draft pick in the 2017 MLB Draft.”

“I actually had a little workout with the White Sox at (Guaranteed Rate Field), so that was a lot of fun,” Kmet said on The Hoge & Jahns Podcast Tuesday. “But at the end of the day, it was a dream of mine to play college football at Notre Dame so that was something I couldn't pass up on.”

RELATED: NFL Mock Draft 2020: Bears and Packers both go after QBs with early picks

The White Sox ended up drafting right handed pitcher Tyler Johnson in the fifth round that year. Kmet went on to play both baseball and football at Notre Dame.

“Being able to play both sports was something I wasn't ready to give up on either,” Kmet said about his decision to turn down the White Sox’s interest. “I wanted to play football and baseball and Notre Dame offered that. So that was something that I really couldn't turn down. Obviously, I'm very happy with the decision.”

 

Last year, Kmet decided to focus solely on football and after catching 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns last fall, he turned pro. And there’s still a possibility he ends up getting drafted by a Chicago team. According to Kmet, he has had “quite a bit of contact with the Bears,” who hold the No. 43 and No. 50 overall picks in Friday’s second round.

And when asked jokingly if he only turned down the White Sox because he’s a Cubs fan, Kmet laughed and said: “Not only. No.”

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