Former Vikings Cameron Dantzler, Kellen Mond Join New Teams

Two former Vikings third-round draft picks have recently joined new teams. Cameron Dantzler is joining the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League in the hopes of reviving his career, while Kellen Mond is signing with the Saints to compete for a roster spot as a backup.

Dantzler, the Vikings' third-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2020, started 26 games over the first three seasons of his career, including ten as a rookie. During that time, he recorded 17 passes defended, three interceptions, and six tackles for loss while earning solid PFF grades, especially in his first two years. Still, his Minnesota tenure was rocky. He ended up behind Bashaud Breeland to open the 2021 season, then got benched for Duke Shelley during the second half of the 2022 season.

The Vikings released Dantzler last March. He went on to spend time with four other teams in 2023, appearing in two games with the Saints. When New Orleans waived him on January 1st of this year, it was the fifth time he had been cut in the last ten months. Now Dantzler, who turns 26 in September, will look to stand out in the UFL and potentially earn another opportunity in the NFL.

The UFL season is already underway, so it'll be interesting to see when Dantzler makes his debut. He's one of numerous former Vikings players (almost all of them offseason/practice squad/undrafted types) in the new merged spring league. Here are some others:

* DE Kenny Willekes
* OL Dru Samia
* QB Case Cookus
* S Myles Dorn
* CB Nevelle Clarke
* DT Jaylen Twyman
* RB Wayne Gallman
* OL Christian DiLauro
* LB DeMarquis Gates
* RB Abram Smith
* QB Jordan Ta’amu
* OL Jarrid Williams
* LS Turner Bernard
* OL Cohl Cabral
* QB Danny Etling
* TE Cole Hikutini
* OL Jake Lacina
* OL Chim Okorafor
* OLB Zach McCloud
* WR Darrius Shepherd

Mond, who turns 25 this summer, was one of the Vikings' disastrous third-round picks in 2021. They had four picks in that round and emerged with Mond, Chazz Surratt, Wyatt Davis, and Pat Jones II. All but Jones were waived in final roster cuts in 2022, lasting just 16 months in Minnesota. Since then, Mond has had stops with the Browns, the Colts, and now the Saints. He'll compete with Nathan Peterman and Jake Haener for the backup job behind Derek Carr.

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