Lake Barrington's Cole Kmet lands with hometown Bears

Cole Kmet's NFL dream came true Friday night.

Kmet, a 2017 St. Viator graduate who just completed his junior season at Notre Dame, was selected by his hometown Chicago Bears with the 43rd pick.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end was ecstatic to hear his named called on the NFL Draft show, which was done virtually and aired by ABC

"This is awesome," Kmet told the Daily Herald moments after the pick was announced. "This is just great."

With their 50th pick, the Bears filled a big need by drafting Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Over three seasons with the Utes, Johnson was targeted 190 times on 1.256 coverage snaps. He allowed just 93 catches for 1,009 yards, three touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He never allowed an opponent passer rating higher than 57.6, and last season, on passes of 10 or more air yards, he gave up just four receptions on 31 targets.

As for Kmet, who announced in January he was foregoing his senior season at Notre Dame, he caught 60 passes for nearly 1,000 yards in his Notre Dame career. Kmet missed the first two games of the 2019 college season due to a broken collarbone, finishing the year with 43 catches for 515 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Also a standout baseball player who at one time was a top MLB prospect, Kmet was a Daily Herald All-Area baseball captain and athlete of the year in 2017, after leading St. Viator to the Class 3A state championship.