Kellen Mond Scouting Report
Against Alabama
Kellen Mond was a quarterback with varying levels of excitement going into the 2021 NFL Draft. Some people had him in their top 5 quarterbacks in the draft with a chance of justifying a first round pick. Others didn’t have him in their top 10 and saw him as nothing more than a late-round flyer. So it’s not too surprising that he lasted until the third round when the Minnesota Vikings selected him with the 66th overall selection. I took a look at his game against Alabama, because even though Alabama didn’t have their normal annihilate-the-world defense this past season, there was plenty of NFL talent to play against, and that’s important in determining whether a guy’s skillset can translate to the next level.
I expected to see his athleticism utilized more when watching him. He ran a very good (fake) 40 time, but even if that number isn’t reliable, the guy can definitely run. One of the more surprising things when looking at his tape was despite what most people would consider a good athlete, he seemed very robotic in his movements. He was very rigid in everything he did, and he never looked smooth or in a rhythm. Now, with that robotic movement, I will say that he seemed like a coil ready to spring into action at any moment. I don’t love it, but I’m also not willing to say that it will be a huge obstacle in his path to success.
One thing I will give him is that the rigidness gives him good body control as he is able to deliver a really nice throw on the slant with pressure coming on him fast.
Negative
This is a real bad throw, and if Alabama wasn’t apparently playing a ghost at safety, it would have been an interception. But somehow, the ball goes through the defender’s phantasmic body and he completes the pass. Still, it is a really bad idea to pump fake on the quick slant. I mean, there’s a reason football teams don’t run the slow slant.
Positives
This play isn’t going to flash for most, but this shows a good understanding by Mond. He scans down the field and doesn’t see anything, feels the pressure coming and just flings the ball out to the flat, with nothing more than a glance in that direction since he knows that his receiver will be open. It’s not a perfect throw that leads the back, but it’s a quick decision that shows good awareness.
Something that I liked out of his intermediary game was that he doesn’t fear tight coverage as he always seems willing to try to sling the ball in there. But I would have liked to see him attack Alabama down the field as I didn’t see a single pass that I would consider a deep throw. I don’t know if it was a gameplan that feared the Alabama secondary or Mond not willing to pull the trigger. There is zip on his passes so arm strength isn’t the issue, but they just stayed underneath the entire game. He threw one 50 yard pass, but he threw it 20 yards after staring down the receiver the entire play and the receiver kept running because nobody ever came near him. I guess, if he can make a habit of his first option being wide open, he’s set.
Final Thoughts
As you can probably tell, I’m not in love with Mond. There is just no “Wow” factor to his game. I think the third round is a totally fitting spot for him to be selected. He kind of reminds me of Daniel Jones in that he’s athletic, has enough arm, and is willing to attempt to fit the ball into tight spaces, but he’s going to be turnover prone, and I just don’t see enough ability to read the field for him to be a franchise quarterback. If everything works out, he can become a starter, but one that is likely in the bottom-tier that you are always looking to replace. Clearly some of us love Mond more than others.
