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After a solid four-year career with the Texas A&M Aggies, which ultimately culminated with an invite to the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Kellen Mond was selected with the No. 66 overall pick in 2021 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are getting a competent dual-threat signal caller that will could be a potential starting quarterback in the next few years as they figure out their plans after Kirk Cousins.
In his final season at College Station, TX, Mond led the Aggies to a 9-1 record and had them on the cusp of possibly making the College Football Playoff. The 6-foot-3 quarterback completed a career-high 63.3% of his passes with 2,282 yards, 19 touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also had 294 ruching yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Mond isn’t your prototypical dual-threat quarterback as he will hang in the pocket before deciding to run.
Scouting Report
Aforementioned, Mond is not your prototypical dual-threat quarterback that we see coming out of college over the recent years. The 6-foot-3 Mond is coming out of a pro-style offense under head coach Jimbo Fisher and has a quick delivery. He can make the short throws and goes through his progressions.
Depending on the offense, he can also be a plus-one in the run game (term coined by Emory Hunt) and running the read option. Mond has solid footwork inside the pocket and has the arm strength to make throws on the run. But he can improve with making passes outside of the hashmarks, overall accuracy, and giving himself up when he is running the ball.
Fantasy football impact
Rookie
The only way Mond sees the field as a rookie is if Kirk Cousins gets hurt or there are some garbage time opportunities. Cousins is owed a lot of guaranteed money, so he will remain the starter for 2021 and probably 2022.
Long-term
After that, things get a little murky. Cousins has been a solid performer, but one has to wonder if he is at his ceiling. Mond’s value will come down to how he develops over the next two years. The earliest he would be fantasy relevant is probably 2023. He’s got solid accuracy and while he did not run nearly as much in his final season, he’s shown the ability to move around. He’s got upside, but he’s a long-term stash in dynasty leagues.