Third Round (Pick No. 90)
Kellen Mond – QB (Texas A&M)
If this draft pick was a GIF, it would be a combination of the Joker’s “and here we… go” GIF with Chris Pratt’s shocked face GIF.
The Vikings using their third selection in the 2021 draft on a quarterback would most definitely raise some eyebrows. Believe it or not, however, this pick is more about Minnesota’s current backup situation than it is about adding someone to replace Kirk Cousins in the next few years.
Currently, the battle to be the Vikings’ No. 2 quarterback for next season will be between Nate Stanley and Jake Browning. The amount of thrill that would come from this battle would be comparable to the amount experienced from watching a recent Steven Seagal film.
So instead of going with Stanley or Browning as their top backup for next season, Minnesota will just use their pick in the third round of this year’s draft on Kellen Mond.
Mond is not a quarterback who is ready to start immediately, so he would be a perfect candidate to be the Vikings’ backup for 2021. He would be an upgrade over Minnesota’s current backup situation and he would be able to sit for the next year or two and learn what it takes to succeed under center at the NFL level.
An underrated reason to use this selection on Mond could be what it does to Kirk Cousins’ mentality. Cousins seems to play at his best when he’s angry and his back is against the wall. Would this pick spark a fire under the current Vikings starter like the Jordan Love selection last year did for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers?
There are multiple positive outcomes that could come from Minnesota picking Mond in the third round. For example, the Vikings could choose to take advantage of his rookie contract and make him the starter in 2022 or 2023, or the selection could cause Cousins to play out his mind, which would then turn Mond into a future trade asset.
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Drafting a quarterback can be so much more than a team just attempting to find the next Patrick Mahomes. Adding Mond in the third round would not only give Minnesota a more talented passer to be their No. 2 guy in 2021, but he could also either emerge as their future starter or bring the best out of Cousins.