Why the 49ers Should Draft Kellen Mond in Round 3
Kellen Mond probably isn't the name 49ers fans want to hear.
They want a future Hall of Fame quarterback -- who doesn't? Meaning they want the team to draft a quarterback in Round 1, and trade up to get him if necessary.
And what a mistake that would be.
Quarterbacks rarely stay on one team for their entire careers. Of all the quarterbacks drafted in Round 1 from 2009 to 2016, none are on their original teams. And of the three quarterbacks who went in Round 1 of the 2017 draft, two could change teams soon (Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson).
Unless the 49ers identify a sure-fire Hall of Fame quarterback talent in Round 1 (hint: they won't), they'd be smarter to wait until Rounds 2 or 3 to take a quarterback. Because that guy will have much less pressure to produce.
Mond may not be the best quarterback in the upcoming draft, but he presents the best value, and he has the best resume of any draft-eligible quarterback other than Trevor Lawrence, who will be the No. 1 pick.
Here's Mond's resume.
1. 5-star recruit and the No. 21 prospect in the country regardless of position when he left high school.
2. Four-year starter at Texas A&M, which plays in the most competitive conference in college football -- the SEC. Mond started 45 collegiate games and won 31. Meaning he had more wins than the other top draft-eligible quarterbacks had starts.
Zach Wilson: 28 starts
Justin Fields: 22 starts
Kyle Trask: 22 starts
Mac Jones: 17 starts
Trey Lance: 17 starts
Mond probably would have started over most of those quarterbacks had he gone to their schools.
3. Doesn't turn the ball over often. Threw just three interceptions in 2020.
4. Not the most naturally accurate thrower, but quarterbacks can improve their accuracy (see Josh Allen), and Mond clearly works hard on his mechanics. He improved his completion percentage every year at Texas A&M. And his receivers dropped many of passes.
2017: 51.5%
2018: 57.3%
2019: 61.6%
2020: 63.3%
5. One of only three quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 9,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,500 yards in the SEC. The other two are Dak Prescott and Tim Tebow.
6. Won the Senior Bowl MVP, just as Prescott did in 2016.
7. Played with Christian Kirk as a freshman in 2017, but since then Mond has played with zero NFL-caliber playmakers on offense. In 2019, Mond got tight end Jace Sternberger drafted in the third round by the Packers. Sternberger has been a bust so far.
8. Played in a spread, dink-and-dunk RPO offense in college. Would be much better suited under center so he can execute play-action passes and throw downfield. Would be a terrific fit in Kyle Shanahan's offense for that reason. Plus, Mond can roll out and scramble.
Mond reminds me of Prescott in lots of ways. Prescott was a one-man army and three-year starter at Mississippi State in the SEC. He didn't play with NFL playmakers in college, and yet he won. He was a Day 3 pick who was labeled a project. But he had so much experience in college that he was able to start right away for the Cowboys. And he took off because they surrounded him with NFL playmakers.
That's what the 49ers can do for Mond. He may not be quite as good as Prescott, but he's damn good. And he's mobile, which makes him unlike any other 49ers quarterback. And should be available when the 49ers pick in Round 3.
Get him, 49ers.
