Cole Kmet amused by No. 1 draft pick hype

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Nothing has excited Bears fans more over the past few months than the endless possibilities that come with controlling the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. It’s been the source of endless discussion and debates, with fans and experts alike sharing their perfect plans for maximizing the value of the pick. As the weeks have gone on, and buzz has grown, so have expectations for the return the Bears could receive if they decide to trade away the pick.

NBC Chicago’s Mike Berman caught up with Kmet on Wednesday to talk about the Bears future, and Kmet shared his amusement for the No. 1 Draft Pick Mania that’s developed.

“I guess if Ryan (Poles) doesn’t get 10 first round picks for this No. 1 pick, he might get run out of town, you know?” Kmet joked. “No, but it’s funny. You get all those Twitter heads, obviously guys in the media speculating what we should get or how Ryan should go about things. Ryan’s been around– it’s funny listening to all those takes, but I think we’re in good hands there, and they’re going to make good moves for the organization.”

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Ultimately, Kmet said he doesn’t pay too much attention to rumors about what the Bears may or may not do with the No. 1 pick.

“Obviously, I’m excited about where this is going for us,” Kmet said. “You kind of stay in-tuned to things a little bit, but I’m primarily focused on improving myself and getting what I need to get done before the season starts.”

The Bears have incredible opportunities at their disposal to improve their team this offseason. They can use the No. 1 pick to draft a blue chip player like Will Anderson, or flip the pick for more assets to further build out their roster. Additionally, they have the most salary cap space to work with in the NFL by a wide margin, which will allow them to aggressively pursue free agent targets of their choosing. Of course, the Bears need to execute properly on all these opportunities to set themselves up for future success. Even if they make sound decisions in the offseason, nothing is guaranteed when the players line up on the field again in September.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Kmet. “Got a lot of work to do, but a lot of promise. I think we’ve got the right, certain pieces in place. Coach Eberflus came in with a culture mindset, and I think he established it pretty well and it resonated with guys. I know guys are excited about coming in. Obviously, we’re going to add some talent here over these next couple months and kind of see where this thing takes us next year, but I know guys are really excited about it.”

NFL teams are allowed to begin negotiating with free agents on Mar. 13, then free agency officially begins on Mar. 15. The NFL draft begins on Apr. 27.

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