With the 66th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Kellen Mond, a quarterback from Texas A&M.
The talk of the offseason for the Minnesota Vikings was focused on their future at quarterback with Kirk Cousins not locked in for the long term. They changed that in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft on Friday as they selected Kellen Mond, a quarterback out of Texas A&M, to potentially be the developmental man under center.
This was certainly a bit of a shocker given the talent available and some of the other areas of the Vikings‘ roster still needing to be fixed. On the other hand, this does give them a cheap backup with a chance to mold him into the starting quarterback in a year or two, which could be very beneficial down the road.
For today, let’s not dwell on this pick and speak only negatively about Mond because there is a lot to unpack about him as a player and his fit with this team. But it is worth wondering just how valuable he will be for this team in 2021 and in the following seasons.
Cousins is not on the hot seat, and his job is not in jeopardy as we head into next season, but there will be some fans who want Mond on the field as soon as things start to go poorly. Fortunately for all parties involved, Cousins likely won’t be pulled off the field in 2021.
That all said, what can Minnesota and their fans expect from Mond next season?
Athleticism
Kellen Mond is the opposite of Kirk Cousins, which should intrigue Vikings fans. He’s a big quarterback with a powerful arm that will translate to the NFL, which is the key when drafting a developmental quarterback. He can work well in the pocket while also flashing the athletic ability to escape and make plays with his legs.
Mond is very poised in the pocket for his age. His ability to sense the pass rush and evade oncoming defenders will make him a more than serviceable backup if he is forced onto the field early on.
Arm talent
As we just alluded to, Mond has an NFL-caliber arm that can be coached into a starting-level arm in a few years. His quick release and high velocity will make him a reliable intermediate thrower that will help him find Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen over the middle. With a good offensive line potentially now in the building, Mond will be able to flash that arm down the field with clean pockets.
When he’s able to step comfortably into his throws, Mond flashes a lot of pure zip. Of all the Day 2 quarterbacks in this class, I would risk taking a chance on Mond over anyone else simply because his arm talent is better than anyone by a wide margin.
He gets the ball out quickly and he will likely be a starter in the NFL at some point down the road. If he can sit and learn behind Cousins, Mond has the raw tools to take over at quarterback when Kirk’s contract is up.
But this is certainly a project pick for Minnesota and they should not expect Mond to be an impact player any time soon. There is still a lot to work on for Mond as he makes the leap to the NFL.
The Bad
Processing
We have not seen Mond process a full field in his time at Texas A&M, at least not on a consistent basis. It takes him a little bit longer to get through his progressions, which allows the pocket to collapse. While he is poised against the rush, there are still times where the collapsed pocket will challenge Mond and force some bad throws.
His decision-making, in general, is questionable, but that’s something that you have to hope will change with better coaching and sitting behind a veteran NFL starting quarterback. Kirk Cousins may not be the perfect quarterback, but he has done a great job of limiting his mistakes and not making back-breaking errors.
Accuracy
To say Mond was not an accurate passer in college is an understatement. He only completed 59 percent of his attempts over four seasons with the Aggies and never completed more than 63.3 percent of his throws in a single season. He did improve his completion percentage every year, which is promising, but that number is remarkably low.
Interceptions were not too common for Mond, throwing just 27 in four seasons, but there were some erratic throws for sure. He loves to take risky shots down the field that is not going to work in the NFL. That’s one thing I would love to see him clean up.
What to expect from Kellen Mond in 2021
To put it simply, the Vikings should not expect Kellen Mond to see the field unless there is a nightmare scenario next season. He should just sit behind Kirk Cousins for a year, maybe even two, before he gets a chance to take over at quarterback. Mond will have a nice redshirt year to absorb the NFL and learn behind one of the better quarterbacks in the league with no real pressure on his shoulders.
There is still a lot to clean up and develop in his game before he is ready to be the guy. However, if Mond is the backup to Cousins and is asked to come in for a handful of snaps for whatever reason, there should be enough there to keep defenses honest.
Mond is not going to wind up on the practice squad, but will Minnesota trust him enough to only carry two quarterbacks on the roster? Nate Stanley will probably stick around on the practice squad or even on the active roster to give the Vikings a safety net, although Mond is much better than Stanley.
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Some might have loved to see more of an impact player at this spot in the third round for Minnesota, but the promise of Mond down the road should keep people sane. Mond will have the upper hand to take over this team in 2023 and it’s always good to have a starting quarterback in the building.