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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond arrived at rookie minicamps without a contract — yet still eager to get to work.
The third-round pick out of Texas A&M practiced on the first day of rookie minicamps on an injury protection agreement, per Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson. Mond asserted he’s eager to learn the Vikings offense, meticulously studying Kirk Cousins following the 2021 NFL Draft.
Being able to watch Kirk on certain cutups… [I] really enjoy watching his execution, his footwork, just watching how he’s able to go through reads and pretty much master the offense,” Mond said. “The more I watch him, the more I’m able to mimic his footwork, his cadence, which is huge in the NFL. There’s so many things I need to learn, but I feel like I’m in a phenomenal organization with phenomenal talent and obviously can’t wait to get to work with Kirk also.”
Mond is currently working on the details of his contract with the organization.
“Just standard negotiations,” Mond said about his lack of a contract. “That’s something my agent is taking up. I’m just out there focusing on football.”
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Cousins Reaches Out to Mond
Cousins, who could join Mond for offseason workouts as soon as Monday, has reached out to the rookie quarterback and potential replacement after his contract expires in 2022.
“[Cousins] was just congratulating me and telling me he couldn’t wait to work with me. I said the same,” Mond said.
“When I got drafted, I knew what type of opportunity it was for me to be able to learn from a veteran, a guy who has been in multiple systems and been under center, playing in a great offense. Just be able to learn how he’s able to lead when he gets out here with J.J. [Justin Jefferson], Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook. Just watching how [Kirk is] able to communicate and really just learn. Just him being a mentor and being able to watch him, that’s what I’m excited for.”
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Mond & Cousins Commonalities
Mond may find Cousins to be the model mentor for his career.
Both quarterbacks were mid-round picks and drafted developmental backups. Cousins could help Mond unlock his potential by teaching the nuances of the offense. Mond is already a physical upgrade over Cousins with his 4.62 40-speed. He’s also shown flashes of deep-ball accuracy — a skill of Cousins’ which has flourished in Minnesota’s play-action offense that ranked second with 8.6 yards per throw in 2020.
However, the biggest factor in Mond’s development will be repetition. The 21-year-old will likely need to break down and build up his mechanics and progressions. If Mond can get the most he can get out of Cousins in this developmental period, he could reimagine his prolific college career, where he threw for 9,661 yards and ran for 1,609 yards, in the NFL.
He seems hellbent on doing just that.
“I’m focused on football,” Mond said. “There’s no schoolwork, no nothing. It’s 100%… on the playbook and mastering the playbook.”