If the Steelers are going to take a mid-round QB, is Kellen Mond the perfect fit?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of many NFL organizations who could be looking at a quarterback in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. However, unlike the other franchises who are looking to add to their current quarterback depth chart, the Steelers possess the 24th overall pick.

Not really conducive to getting a top tier prospect at the most important position in the game.

There is the chance the Steelers choose to take a quarterback, but don’t go for the top tier players at the position. Not a fan favorite, but the Steelers have always shown they are willing to take a mid-round quarterback in hopes of them developing into at worst a backup.

One prospect which has come to my attention in the last few days is Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond. Mond is a big-arm quarterback who has had a tremendous amount of success in college, but many wonder if his game will translate to the professional ranks.

I did some digging on Mond, and put together a brief synopsis of the kind of player he is, and will be when becoming a professional. Below you’ll see draft profile breakdowns, film room breakdowns and game film for you to enjoy.

Don’t listen to me, or anyone else, form your own opinion on Mond. I plan on doing this for other prospects as the draft approaches. If there is a specific player you’d like to see covered, simply let me know and I’ll be glad to put it together!

Let us know your thoughts on Mond in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the new league year, NFL Free Agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.

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Draft Profiles

Pro Football Network

• Position: Quarterback
• School: Texas A&M
• Current Year: Senior
• Height: 6’2 4/8″
• Weight: 205 pounds
• Wingspan: 80 1/8″
• Arm: 33″
• Hand: 9 1/4″

Positives: Athletic quarterback with a next-level arm who flashes brilliance. Patient in the pocket and buys as much time as necessary. Senses the rush and steps up to avoid defenders. Athletic, easily eludes defenders, and picks up yardage with his legs when necessary. Possesses a quick release and a live arm, gets speed on throws, and easily drives downfield passes. Fires the ball through tight windows, leads receivers with passes, and throws targets open. Loses no ball speed throwing on the move.

Displays a sense of timing and does not have receivers waiting for the ball to arrive. Knows where his targets are on the field and quickly locates the open wideout. Spreads the ball around and uses all his receivers. Sets up screen throws, puts touch on passes, and delivers a catchable ball. Effectively commands the offense.

Negatives: Very slow moving his head away from the primary target and gives away passes at times. Must do a better job selling ball fakes. Can be erratic with his pass placement.

Analysis: Mond is an athletic quarterback who displayed a lot of progress in his game last season. He possesses a terrific amount of upside and has starting potential at the next level if he gets hooked up with the proper coach and continues developing his game.

The Draft Network

From a statistical standpoint, Kellen Mond is one of the most prolific players to not only play in College Station, but also the SEC. He’s a slim, but adequately built quarterback prospect who possesses lots of velocity with throws when able to step into them. With a high-elbow but snappy type of release, he has the torque and enthusiasm behind passes that enables him to be very efficient in the short to intermediate areas. Mond always displays high levels of poise as he often shows that he’s never in a hurry. From his mechanics to how he deals with pressure surrounding him, he remains under control and focused on the task at hand. He’s one of the most battled-tested throwers in the country as he takes an excruciating amount of hits throughout games but continues to battle and make throws. The often occurrence of shots to his body has helped him better deal with pressure from all directions inside the pocket. He’s mainly a half-field read thrower that can get the ball out quickly and efficiently when on schedule. While barely scratching the level of an above-average athlete, he has enough athleticism to get himself out of trouble and gain hidden yardage when breaking outside of the pocket as well. He’s strictly a shotgun/pistol quarterback who’s had all of his experience there.

Playing faster is sometimes needed, but he remains at the same pace. Decaying pockets can be challenging for him to escape and he waits too long to make that decision instead of correctly timing when, where, and how to exit the pocket in order to explore and create off-script opportunities. He shows great stages of poise, but will have plays where he makes questionable throws down the field in hopes of being bailed out by aggressive perimeter options.

Ideal Role: Developmental QB that could lead to being a high-end backup option.

Scheme Fit: Erhardt-Perkins offensive system.

Walter Football

Strengths:

• Quality skill set
• Strong arm
• Can push the ball vertically
• Can fire fastballs into tight windows
• Quick release
• Can buy time with his feet
• Capable of picking up yards on the ground
• Can throw some perfect passes
• Good amount of playing experience; 3-year starter
• Avoided turnovers
• Good ball security
• Quality intangibles
• Upside

Weaknesses:

• Inconsistent
• Streaky passer
• Narrow frame
• Mechanical passer
• Inconsistent accuracy
• Needs to improve his feet
• Throws a flat ball
• Predetermined passes
• Needs to improve putting air underneath the ball

Player Comparison: Josh Dobbs. Some team source see Mond as a poor man’s Colin Kaepernick, and others think he is a better version of Josh Dobbs. Dobbs (6-3, 216) and Mond are similar in size and possess some athleticism to go with arm strength. Dobbs was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, and Mond could go in that range in the 2021 NFL Draft. Dobbs’ limitations as a passer lead to him being a NFL backup, and Mond could follow a similar career track.

NFL.com

Quarterback with dual-threat physical tools who has grown and matured into a role as a confident game manager. The Aggies’ offense asked too much of Mond in the past, which led to diminishing returns. However, the 2020 offense featured a strong rushing attack paired with play-action, where he not only found greater confidence and rhythm as a passer, but also noticeable pocket poise and accuracy. He doesn’t often get antsy working from the pocket and throws with solid ball placement underneath. Issues with touch and anticipation create erratic completion numbers when asked to throw down the field and outside the numbers, which will concern evaluators. His zone-read talent and quick release to incorporate RPOs adds to his draft value, but he might lack the consistency to ever become more than a solid backup.

Strengths

• Four-year starter with growing confidence.
• Improved game management and ball placement in 2020.
• Touchdown-to-interception ratio jumped from 2:1 to 6:1 in 2020.
• Has become willing pocket passer who trusts his protection.
• Quiet lower body when working through progressions.
• Delivers most throws from balanced platform.
• Alters arm slot to deliver ball around bodies and arms.
• Quick, wrist-flick release generates tight spiral with quality zip.
• Relatively accurate throwing on the move.
• Dangerous zone-read option.
• Able to break the pocket and move the sticks with chunk play scrambles.

Weaknesses

• Deep throws are often flat and overthrown.
• Highly inconsistent in working with anticipation.
• Doesn’t consistently make defenses pay for coverage mistakes.
• Shies away from big-play opportunities to take shorter throws.
• Will miss late safety movement indicating incoming blitz.
• Defaults to aiming rather than throwing at times.
• Just average attacking high-low route concepts.
• Inaccuracy and indecisiveness reared ugly heads against LSU.
• Completed just 35 percent of intermediate throws outside the numbers (and 26 percent of deep throws outside numbers) in 2020.

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Breakdowns

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Game Film

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Other Breakdowns