Texas A&M Football fans may not have realized it, but they were witnessing a rare talent in Kellen Mond for the past three and a half years in college station. Mond quietly tore apart defenses, putting up modest numbers, but playing an extremely efficient game.
And while his games were efficient, his draft stock had a distinct ceiling due to the fact that he never passed for more than 24 touchdowns in a season. But that’s where teams have gone wrong.
Mond’s selling point was never his ability to be an explosive player. Rather, Mond should be looked at as a safer option in the draft — a player who won’t end up being a complete bust. He feels like a safe pick in that way.
Texas A&M Football QB Kellen Mond’s maturity will help his draft stock
And that should be his greatest strength as the NFL Draft approaches. Kellen Mond may not be the most dazzling athlete or have a cannon arm, but he is a mature player. He’s similar to Dak Prescott in that he can bring a veteran presence to a team the day he walks into training camp.
A lot of his maturity comes from the fact that he was raised in a military family — his father served eight years. As a result, he is naturally a more disciplined player in contrast with some other young guys who will have to be humbled at the next level.
In a draft with a boatload of quarterback talent, there aren’t many more players who possess Mond’s unique skillset.
Texas A&M Football QB Kellen Mond knows how to be a franchise quarterback
You can say a lot of things about Kellen Mond. Some make the argument that as a high 4-star recruit out of IMG Academy, Mond never really hit his ceiling as a player with Texas A&M. I think they may be right.
Even so, Kellen Mond showed that he could bring long-term success to this Aggies football program. Outside of the Johnny Manziel seasons, this school hadn’t really found long-term success with any of its quarterbacks. Most had short stints as the starter in College Station, either transferring out or leaving to the NFL.
Mond showed up with the expectation that he needs to elevate this TAMU program to the next level through reliable play and consistency under center. And that’s exactly what he did.
In his first year, he would struggle a bit, mainly due to uncertainty at the coaching position. Once there was some stability in College Station, he tore apart college football. In his three seasons as a full-time starter, he’d accumulate a 26-10 record.
He changed the culture in College Station.
There aren’t many guys in the draft who are as much of a winner as Mond, even if they may surpass him in the eye test. A lot of franchises overthink their pick. With Mond, you’d be taking a proven winner who has no clear flaws in his game. He may not be a 500-yard, 6 touchdown type of passer, but you know exactly what you’re going to get out of him.
Which leads me to my next point.
Texas A&M Football QB Kellen Mond knows football, and we know Kellen Mond
When you’re looking for a player who can make an instant impact at the quarterback position in the NFL, you need somebody who knows the game. While there are plenty of quarterbacks who know the game pretty well, Mond was a starter for three full seasons. He was also the starter for half of his freshman season.
He has been the leader of this team for a long time, and as a result, he likely knows more defensive schemes than anybody in the league. Not to mention he plays in the SEC, the most competitive college football conference in America.
Kellen Mond knows the game, plain and simple. Too many franchises have drafted a bust who only played a single season at the college football level to make that mistake again.
That said there are two sides to this story. While Kellen Mond knows football, football also knows Kellen Mond. What I mean by that is that any franchise that picks him up will know exactly what he’s capable of at the next level. He’s not a high-risk, high-reward player, he’s a guy who could jump in right away and give you solid play under center.
There is little-to-no risk in drafting him. That is why, in my opinion, he should be an early-round pick who instantly sees the field for somebody. There are a handful of teams that don’t necessarily need an MVP-caliber player to take the next step. Mond could be that guy.