Kellen Mond Could Get Fair Shake at Development with New Regime
Kellen Mond’s stock near the end of the 2021 season was lower than the fuel level of a teenager’s gas tank.
Minnesota drafted Mond in the 3rd Round of the 2021 NFL Draft, tapped as a potential contingency plan if QB1 Kirk Cousins wound up not the long-term option for the Vikings. Cousins authored a wonderful 2021 season by the numbers, but the team missed the postseason, and Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman were fired accordingly.
Toward the end of the season, Cousins contracted COVID, causing the otherwise always-healthy quarterback to miss the Vikings-Packers game at Green Bay. Minnesota started Sean Mannion – who was as mobile as a Paul Bunyan statue – losing to the Packers by 27 points. At one point in the game, Mannion’s hand cramped, so Mond was thrust into action for a single drive. The Vikings went three-and-out.
Following the game, ex-Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer lamented Mond’s entry into the game, explaining he didn’t “particularly” want to see any more of Mond in practice the next week. It was a damning, Parcells-toned indictment of a raw rookie prospect.
But Zimmer’s gone. So is the general manager who drafted Mond, Rick Spielman.
Now, Mond has a clean slate, set to impress or underwhelm the new general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. And with a new head coach to be named in the next week, Mond could actually get a fair shake as a developmental quarterback. Left up to Zimmer – based on his terse feedback – Mond would not have likely received playing time. Like ever.
During the 2021 draft process, Mond was a darling for every QB-needy team spending 3rd-Round-or-lower draft capital on a rookie passer. Chris Simms, who famously nails predictions on how a quarterback will translate to the pros, called Mond the fourth-best quarterback in the draft class. Simms’ track record is close to spotless. So, we shall see on his prognostications in relation to Mond.
Additionally, Bleacher Report identified Mond as one of the league’s most intriguing prospects last summer. Mentioning the Simms’ connection, Brag Gagnon opined on Mond:
And Chris Simms of NBC Sports rated as the fourth-best quarterback in the class. “He’s a machine throwing the ball, as pure and consistent a thrower as anyone in this class,” Simms tweeted. “Explosive arm.” But the tantalizing Texas A&M product slid into Round 3, where he landed with the Minnesota Vikings, who owe veteran Kirk Cousins $76 million over the next two years. Barring an injury to Cousins, that almost certainly means Mond will hold a tablet as a rookie—and likely as a sophomore as well. And that’s fine, because despite possessing all the tools to become a franchise quarterback, Mond needs work and time. It will help that Cousins said he’s an “open book” for Mond.
Mond did not get an extended look in 2021 because Cousins was mostly healthy and productive. It is unclear if he’s any good. He had no pathway to the field under Zimmer, so his best shot to see the field during the last three years of his rookie deal is with a new head coach who believes in him.
The plot would thicken, of course, if Adofo-Mensah trades Cousins. But that’s speculative for now. With no Cousins on the roster or no replacement veteran, the Vikings would have to draft a 2022 rookie or hand Mond the keys to the enterprise.
Luckily for Mond, two meaningful pairs of eyes will decide his future – Adofo Mensah’s and the new coach’s. He should breathe a sigh of relief as he was firmly trending toward Zimmer’s notorious doghouse. Cameron Dantzler only left that shed in 2021 because of necessity.
Maybe Wyatt Davis, also drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2022 NFL Draft, even gets an audition. Mond and Davis actually playing would be quite bizarre considering the previous regime’s staunch standoffishness.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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