Atlanta Falcons: Kellen Mond is not the answer at QB in any round of the draft

Kellen Mond is not the answer for the Atlanta Falcons in any round of the 2021 NFL Draft

The Atlanta Falcons possess the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and there is plenty of speculation surround what they’ll do with that pick.

Some believe the Falcons will take a quarterback like Zach Wilson, Trey Lance or Justin Fields with that pick. Others think they might take the best available player- like a Penei Sewell or a defender. Still, many others think they’ll trade back to draft a defensive player and gain draft capital as a result.

For those thinking about selecting a quarterback in the later portion of the draft (whether that be the first-round, Day 2 or even Day 3), the answer is not Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond.

Kellen Mond isn’t going to be a franchise quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, no matter how much love Chris Simms gives him

Chris Simms made the comment that Mond is a better pure passer than Trevor Lawrence, but anyone who has watched his film knows that’s simply not true.

While Mond did improve every year during his collegiate career, his best completion percentage was 63.3 percent. Even during this 2020 season, Mond was streaky and had times where he just looked lost.

There’s no doubt that he has a strong arm and a quick release, but that’s where the pro-caliber traits stop. His footwork is awkward at times and the way he goes through progressions needs to be developed heavily.

While many might be thinking about Mond as a potential mid-round QB pick- and perhaps he would work out- there’s just nothing I’ve seen in his game that makes me think he’s going to be the next franchise quarterback.

So, what would that mean?

It would mean that the Falcons wasted a pick- whether it was an early pick or a mid-round pick- on a career backup.

Let’s be honest, if you don’t want the Falcons to draft a quarterback early, why would they take one who we all know isn’t going to develop into a starter? You might as well look to free-agency for your backup and plan on drafting the potential future QB in a later draft.

Maybe it’s too harsh, but there’s just not anything we’ve seen in Kellen Mond to think he can be the successor to Matt Ryan for the Atlanta Falcons.