Vikings Select Texas A&M Quarterback Kellen Mond With No. 66 Pick in 2021 NFL Draft
The Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback. They've selected Texas A&M's Kellen Mond with the No. 66 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
There were rumors that the Vikings were interested in the second tier of QBs in this year's draft, and they came to fruition. Two picks after Florida's Kyle Trask was taken, Minnesota chose Mond over Stanford's Davis Mills, who went immediately afterwards to the Texans.
Mond, who has good size at 6'2", 211 pounds, started 44 games for the Aggies over the last four years. He has the physical tools — good athleticism and a rocket of an arm — to become a starting-level QB in the NFL, but he needs plenty of development. He was plagued by inconsistency, awareness, and decision-making issues at times during his college career.
Mond finished his A&M career with 71 touchdown passes, 27 interceptions, a completion percentage of 59, and a 132 rating. He average 7.1 yards per attempt and took a decent amount of sacks. Mond also ran for 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns in college.
Here's what The Athletic's Dane Brugler had to say about Mond, who he gave a fourth-round grade:
Mond has impressive highlights with his ability to rip off beautiful throws downfield or extend plays with his legs. However, his lowlights are red flags, staying laser-locked on his targets and struggling to pick up pressures. Overall, Mond is in the Colin Kaepernick mold with his lean, angular frame, strong arm and long-striding athleticism, but his ball placement, timing and decision-making lack consistency. His natural tools will push him up several draft boards.
Mond showed some flashes at the Senior Bowl — winning MVP of the game with Rick Spielman in attendance — and his pro day, which was attended by multiple members of the Vikings organization. His arm talent isn't in question.
However, he'll have to improve his intermediate accuracy, progressions, and ability to read defenses if he's going to reach his full potential. Mond is just 21 years old — he turns 22 this summer — and is a project for Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko to work with in the coming years.
Right away, Mond will provide an upgrade from Sean Mannion as Kirk Cousins' backup. If he makes some big strides in 2021 and 2022, he could give the Vikings a reason to move on from Cousins and his big contract.
It'll all come down to how Mond develops. Still, this is the first time since Teddy Bridgewater in 2014 that the Vikings have drafted a quarterback with this much upside. He could be Cousins' successor in the future if he pans out.
Here's a more in-depth scouting report on Mond from SI's NFL Draft Bible.
The starting quarterback for the Aggies the better part of the last three seasons, Mond keeps reeling evaluators back in with his combination of athleticism and deep-level arm talent. With some of the best bucket throws in the entire 2021 NFL Draft class, the talent is obviously there. Outside the numbers, Mond flashes some big-time ability and stable enough ball placement. Some will convince themselves that this is a next-level starting option with some refinement. Then the shortcomings bring back reality. There is an absence of next-level throws to the middle of the field, seriously affecting his consistency to stay in rhythm. Mond is a mechanical thrower who lacks flexibility to throw from varying platforms in the pocket. He is a mess inside the pocket, seemingly frantic when forced to manage pressure. Mond will ultimately be coined as a “developmental prospect with high upside,” but his inability to win within pressure threatens his abilities to stick long term.
Follow our Day 2 tracker right here. Three more picks for the Vikings coming up in the third round.
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