Philadelphia Eagles: Kellen Mond is an ideal Day 2 quarterback option

Chris Simms has a lot of… original opinions.

He’s a Tampa Bay Buccaneers homer – way before it was cool – a Jon Gruden apologist, and more or less indifferent to putting his controversial sports takes out there, even if they ultimately prove to be wrong. Then again, Simms has unquestionably been correct about some players well before others came around to it, as his advocacy for Lamar Jackson in 2018 led some talent evaluators to privately pull him aside and chastise his scouting.

In hindsight, that doesn’t look particularly smart, even if Jackson’s aerial limitations have prevented him from becoming the best player in the league at his position.

So naturally, when Simms goes to the table for one particular player, especially one who played his position, people are going to hear it, process the information, and at least fold it into their overall evaluation of a specific player, right?

Kellen Mond presents unique upside for the Philadelphia Eagles on Day 2.

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By trading down in the first round from six to 12, the Philadelphia Eagles effectively eliminated themselves from the first-round quarterback conversation.

Now sure, there have been rumblings that the Eagles could trade up once more, which would be incredibly on-brand goofy, but there’s a far better chance the Eagles leave the first round with a defensive end, offensive lineman, or even safety than a fresh young signal-caller, assuming, of course, that a player like Justin Fields starts to fall.

With that being said, the Eagles shouldn’t take that as an excuse to completely avoid selecting a signal-caller at any point in the 2021 NFL Draft, either.

No, even if Jalen Hurts ultimately proves to be the guy for the next decade, the Eagles would be wise to invest in another mid-level quarterback to develop moving forward, especially considering their only other option right now is “South Jersey” Joe Flacco.

If that’s the route Howie Roseman decides to go, Kellen Mond might just be the most exciting player left on the board after the initial wave of quarterbacks come off the board in the first round.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, Mond was a four-year contributor for Texas A&M, where he started all but three games dating back to his freshman season. He threw for 9,661 yards, ran for 1,609 more, and finished out his career with 93 total touchdowns, all of which are either Aggies records or tied for it with the ever enigmatic Johnny Manziel.

Though he initially played under Kevin Sumlin in his doomed final season in College Station, Mond shined while playing inside the confines of ex-Florida State Seminals head honcho Jimbo Fisher from 2018-20, a pro-style system that made Christian Ponder, E.J. Manuel, and Jamis Winston into first-round picks.

Sidebar: Even now, in the modern era of collegiate Air Raid supremacy, playing in a “pro-style” system still holds weight in the eyes of NFL scouts. Is that right? Eh, maybe no, but it is what it is.

Now if you’re looking for a team looking for a developmental piece of clay to formulate an ideal NFL quarterback with, Mond isn’t your guy. Mond is a smart game manager with plus athleticism from the pocket and an eye for making plays with the ball in his hands, as opposed to a gunslinger who takes excessive sacks from the pocket and wows watchers on with his Josh Allen-esque howitzer of an arm.

If you want that player, Feleipe Franks will surely be on the board every time the Eagles are on the clock on Day 2, maybe even into Day 3, but there’s a legitimate question if that’s the route the Eagles want to take with their QB 3.

Why? Because Mond’s game is far more reminiscent of Jalen Hurts than Carson Wentz.

Like Hurts, Mond is particularly good at surveying the field, making his reads, and running the ball if no one is open. While the Aggies certainly get the ball down the field better than Alabama – at least when Hurts was their starting quarterback – the scheme the two teams run aren’t too dissimilar, as both rely on getting the ball to outside receivers, rely on their running backs in both the running and passing games, and even allowed their quarterback to run when plays aren’t there.

Had Mond been given the wealth of receiving options Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones were blessed with during the “passing era” of Alabama football, maybe he too would be considered a Day 1 draft pick as opposed to the current consensus that almost every talent evaluator believes that he’ll ultimately go off the board in the back half of the top-100, maybe even lower, depending on how things shake out.

The lone exception? Our pal Chris Simms, who you may remember from earlier in this very article.

In the younger Simms’ eyes, Mond is a complete player who sees the field as well as anyone in this year’s class, can make any throw, and has the ability to fit into the modern-day NFL with his athletic gifts. While some will quibble with the suggestion that Mond’s accuracy is better than Trevor Lawrence’s, it’s hard to argue with some of Simms’ points, especially his thorough breakdown of his arm motion and mechanics.

So, if Mond’s playing style is analogous to Hurts – right down to his size, 40 time, and state of origin – and he has the upside to be a solid enough NFL starting quarterback, why not draft him in the third round, or package a few threes to move up into the middle second to add another quarterback to the #QBFactory. It sure beats drafting a quarterback with all the measurables in the world who ultimately ends up transitioning to tight end a la Blake Bell, Logan Thomas, and Tyree Jackson a few years down the line. Even now, Mond possesses the touch and feel of an NFL quarterback, which is a whole lot harder to learn than a new offensive system.

As things presently stand, Jalen Hurts is entering a pivotal second NFL season. If he rises to the occasion, wins more games than he loses – which may be hard with this particular team – and proves himself a viable leader of men, the Philadelphia Eagles will be in good shape moving forward. If he falters and the team crumbles under pressure, Howie Roseman will surely use his super-high 2022 first-round pick on a quarterback and start this all over yet again. But that doesn’t mean the Eagles should simply sit on their hands and wait it out. If they can land a quarterback like Kellen Mond with starter-upside without the typical starter price tag, it’ll put the team in a good position to have their cake and eat it too, all the while maintaining stylistic continuity if a change needs to be made midseason.