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All eyes are fixated on the first ten picks of the NFL Draft, and New England Patriots fans wonder if their team will trade up to get one of the big-name QBs. It’s possible, but there is another quarterback prospect who is said to “check a lot of the Patriots boxes,” and his name is Kellen Mond.
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Mond’s stock appears to be on the rise of late. He looked good at his Pro Day, which came on the heels of his Senior Bowl MVP performance in March. Pats’ Pulpit’s Bernd Buchmasser sees some potential interest from the Patriots. Buchmasser wrote:
Mond is a work in progress, but he does check plenty of the Patriots’ boxes: he is coming from a pro-style system, has played plenty of football against high-quality competition, and steadily improved throughout his college career while bringing a solid technical foundation to the table. His ceiling might be below that of other potential dual-threat quarterbacks, but he has some solid tools to work with and might present good value for New England on the second or early third day of the draft — if only to push [Jarrett] Stidham and [Jake] Dolegala from the developmental backup position.
It would be uncharacteristic for Bill Belichick to mortgage multiple picks–especially two first-rounders–to add one unproven player. Because that’s what it might take for the Patriots to move into the Top-10 to draft a player like Justin Fields or Trey Lance, a player like Mond might be a more realistic target.
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Other Experts Have Good Things to Say About Mond
The Draft Scout’s Matt Miller also spoke highly of the Texas A&M quarterback in a recent piece released on his site. According to Miller:
Kellen Mond won’t slip out of Round 2. The former Texas A&M quarterback started for four years in the SEC and has the combination of arm strength and mobility that will get him drafted earlier than most expected when the season ended. He can thank a very good Senior Bowl week and the needs across the league at quarterback for his rise.
If this is the case, the Patriots will either have to trade back from their No. 15 selection to get Mond late in the first round or early in the second. They may even package their No. 46 pick and a fourth-rounder to move higher in the second round to ensure they get the Texas A&M star if they like him.
The ‘Coachable’ Rookie Could Be Ideal Backup for Cam Newton
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler referred to Mond as someone who accepts “hard coaching” well. That’s not an undesirable trait heading into a situation in New England.
Mond, nor any other rookie coming into New England figures to start Week 1. There may be a competition between Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham, of which the former would be the favorite to win again. A rookie quarterback will likely be the No. 3 or a backup if the loser of the competition is released.
Mond’s demeanor and upside would make him a great understudy who is being groomed to start down the road.
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