Could Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Kellen Mond follow in the footsteps of current Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott?
For the Minnesota Vikings to draft a quarterback within the first three rounds during the Rick Spielman era, it means the team sees something special in the young passing prospect.
Before this year, Teddy Bridgewater was the only quarterback selected by the Vikings during the first three rounds of a draft since Spielman was promoted to be the team’s general manager in 2012.
So when Minnesota decided to use one of their third-round picks on former Texas A&M passer Kellen Mond during this year’s NFL Draft, the intrigue certainly kicked up a notch.
What are the expectations for Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Kellen Mond?
When it comes to Mond, it really depends on who you ask. Some had him ranked as a top-four quarterback prospect this year, while others had him ranked sixth or lower.
Someone who has been high on Mond’s potential before he was even drafted by the Vikings is NBC Sports’ Chris Simms. The former NFL quarterback sees big things in the future for Minnesota’s newest signal-caller and he shared his thoughts during a recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show”.
"“[Kellen Mond is] is going to be the Dak Prescott of this draft. [Prescott was] the guy that went to the fourth round, that everybody nitpicked because of team reasons, and he fell [in the draft]. Really, you could argue that Mac Jones and Kellen Mond were the two most pocket-ready quarterbacks [this year]. Not saying that they’re the best, but playing from the pocket, that is where Mond was special to me, and NFL-ready special to me, where [if the] pocket’s collapsing, [he] doesn’t need space, has a big arm, really goes through reads the right way, can throw into tight windows, and that’s NFL football when it’s all said and done.”"
Simms recently revealed the first five players in his top-40 quarterback rankings for the 2021 season and he has Mond slotted in the No. 37 slot.
Interestingly enough, he has the Vikings rookie ranked ahead of two other first-year quarterbacks that were drafted ahead of him in Trey Lance (38) and Justin Fields (39).
Whether you agree with Simms’ opinion or not, no one can deny the potential Mond has to be successful in the NFL. He has all the tools, he just needs a little more help with learning how to properly use all of them.
What we can say about Simms’ comments is that if Mond ends up developing into a quarterback like Dak Prescott, Minnesota will be very satisfied.