Kellen

Mond

Throw in Stanford’s Davis Mills, who has received a little Day 1 buzz, and at least by the rumor mill’s estimation, we could see eight quarterbacks off the board midway through the second day of the draft. To which we would just say, easy now. Over-projecting the position is a tale as old as time. Trask doesn’t profile as much more than a backup in the pros while Mond will take time to develop. With five quarterbacks expected to be drafted in Round 1, it could be difficult to find slots for three additional signal-callers in Round 2.

Zierlein speculates that Mond (6'3/217), Davis Mills and Kyle Trask are likely to be taken earlier than expected due to high demand at the position. The statement makes sense on it’s face, as the jockeying to move up and select one of the top-five quarterbacks in this class is shaping up to be fast and furious. The teams who are shut out of the premium QB sweepstakes will now turn their attention to securing one of the next rung signal callers. It’s interesting that Zierlein didn’t mention Jamie Newman as being in the tier two mix.

There has been some speculation that a quarterback other than one of the Usual Suspects -- Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mac Jones -- could end up sneaking into the Day 1 fray late. The two signal-callers who have drawn favor as sleepers for the first round are Mond and Stanford’s Davis Mills. And it’s possible that a team does trade back into Round 1 for one of those quarterbacks, but there has been little indication that either Mond or Mills has legitimately crashed through the wall to Day 1 at this juncture. Pauline likes teams such as the Falcons, Eagles, Lions and Patriots as nice fits for Mond, who will require further development off the bench to start with. All of the team fits forwarded by Pauline come equipped with hold-me-over starters in Matt Ryan, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff and Cam Newton.

The relationship between Mond and the Patriots started in earnest at the Senior Bowl, where team reps interviewed the signal-caller on his way to eventually being named game MVP. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound gunslinger indicated that he and Pats OC Josh McDaniels have been exchanging occasional texts throughout the process. If the Patriots are truly interested in Mond, he’ll be in the Day 2 mix come the draft. New England has been widely speculated as a Day 1 player for quarterback at pick No. 15, but they are by no means locked into that one position. The team signed veteran Cam Newton to a one-year contract earlier this offseason, affording them the opportunity to develop a rookie such as Mond off the bench should they choose to move in that direction.

Mond (6'3/217) is the first quarterback off the board in Round 2 of McShay’s two-round mock affair, with the analyst writing, “The next-best QB was out of range for Washington in Round 1, but selecting Mond -- who could sit behind Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke all season -- here is smart. His accuracy and mechanics will have to develop, but Mond has arm strength and the ability to extend plays.” The analyst has WFT picking Virginia Tech T Christian Darrisaw. The lone other quarterback (outside the usual suspects) to hit the ground running in McShay’s mock is Florida QB Kyle Trask, whom he pegs to the Chicago Bears at pick No. 52 overall -- right behind Washington’s selection of Mond.

Though Mond’s team lost by a field goal, the Aggies QB was still pretty solid when given his opportunity. Mond marched the offense down for a couple touchdown drives, both of which he finished off himself. Other QBs may have finished with a higher yards per attempt than Mond, but Mond’s red zone accuracy and peak plays were probably the most impressive of any QB on the day. QBs Feleipe Franks, Sam Ehlinger, and Jamie Newman also threw a touchdown.

Mond (6'3/217) sports a 31-13 record as a starter and is the second winningest quarterback in school history. His 93 touchdowns ties Johnny Manziel for the all-time school record and the senior signal caller is one of only three SEC QBs to throw for 9,000 yards and rush for 1,500 in their career. He completed 63 percent of his passes, averaged 7.7 yards per attempt and threw 19 touchdowns to three interceptions this season. Mond has the size and arm strength to intrigue NFL Scouts, however his composure and accuracy are question marks. CBS Sports ranks the Aggie signal caller as the 140th best prospect in the class. Mond is likely destined to be a middle round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Playing in what could very well be his last game as a member of the Aggies, Mond had a solid -- if unspectacular game -- that helps Texas A&M finish the season 9-1. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound quarterback scampered into the end zone on a four-yard run to tie the game at 27-27 to answer a UNC score in the fourth quarter. This was pretty easily the biggest win of Mond’s career -- even when you consider how short-handed UNC was -- and if he does elect to head off to the NFL, it’s a nice way to end his collegiate time. If he comes back, Texas A&M might be title contenders. That may be true even if he departs.

Mond (6'3/217) added 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground, the Aggies’ first score, courtesy of a five-yard scramble on second-and-goal where Mond drove through a Tennessee defender at the goal line. With Tennessee doing a good job against RB Isaiah Spiller -- holding him to 3.4 YPC on 26 attempts -- Mond’s additional contributions on the ground were especially welcome. Mond is headed to the Senior Bowl after this season. He flashes Day 2 upside, but he’ll have to answer for accuracy issues and some wonky decision-making (today’s interception in the red zone was airmailed to a Tennessee defensive back with no Aggie in the vicinity) that have plagued him at times during his career. With the win, the Aggies improved to 8-1. Sitting at No. 5 in the current playoff rankings, A&M will be rooting for Notre Dame and Alabama this evening.

Mond (6'3/217) added 60 yards and a touchdown on the ground in his most efficient big-game spot since the upset win over Florida earlier this season. Mond completed 78.3% of his passes for 8.5 YPA while setting a season-high for rushing yards. He showed particular chemistry with ascending TE Jalen Wydermyer, who finished with a 8-89-2 line. Mond recently accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl, where we think he’ll be vying for Day 2 positioning this spring. The 7-1 Aggies will try to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive against Ole Miss next week.