Kellen Mond Will Be a Mystery. Indefinitely.
Coming into the 2021 season, Kellen Mond was perceived as a developmentally raw prospect at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
Exiting the 2021 season, Kellen Mond is still perceived as a developmentally raw prospect at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
Aside from preseason action – where Mond didn’t look too formidable – the rookie from Texas A&M didn’t make much of an impact, chiefly because QB1 Kirk Cousins remained injury-free.
And when Cousins was beset by the coronavirus, it was veteran signal-caller Sean Mannion who got the nod. Mannion started against the Green Bay Packers last weekend, playing poorly on the whole during the Vikings season-ending loss.
Mond saw a smidgen of action and nearly tossed a pick-six. Less than ideal.
One clear takeaway from the 2021 campaign? Per the estimation of the current coaching staff, Mond was not productive enough to even snag a QB2 job. Unfortunately, that likely implies he’s not the real deal, although he could theoretically just take a long time to mature.
Yet, in this day in age, young quarterbacks are frequently tossed into action, asked to sink or swim while obtaining on-the-job training. The Vikings, for now, don’t believe Mond is ready to compete at a regular season level. That’s pretty damning.
The existing coaching staff, led by Mike Zimmer, could be in its final days of leadership in Minnesota. The narrative on Mond might change drastically amid the next few months. At the moment, though, Mond is a mystery. He could be the next big thing by September – or he could be the Vikings QB3 for the next three seasons.
Thanks to the current regime – for better or worse – 2021 taught fans nothing about Kellen Mond, aside from the reality he’s isn’t very good right now. Or if he is – Zimmer and friends possess a bizarre vendetta against him.
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The Vikings have nothing to play for this Sunday, sans some pride and entertaining masked folks in attendance with a moral-victory win. Minnesota is eliminated from the postseason, inhabiting an awkward spot where the team gets a higher draft pick if it loses.
This should be a served-on-a-platter game to have a look at Mond, yes?
No.
Minnesota is starting Kirk Cousins over Mond – and the only explanation is that Mond isn’t very good.
The moral of the story is this: Either the Vikings never truly plan to develop Mond, and he was a draft pick to appease someone in Eagan – or he flat-out stinks right now.
Until a different coach gives Mond another audition or Mond flunks out of the league, he’ll remain a mystery. He could be a prospect ignored in his rookie season by a notoriously stubborn coach. Or perhaps he’s a mini-bust.
A mystery, indeed.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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