On Friday, Kellen Mond became the 29th quarterback drafted by the Minnesota Vikings. That fact wasn’t nearly as interesting as another one related to the selection.
Mond arrived via round three. He’s the first Vikings quarterback to be drafted in the third round since the first draft the Vikings ever had, in 1961. That’s when they used a third-round pick on a quarterback from Georgia.
First name, Francis. Last name, Tarkenton.
Mond has a long way to go before he’ll be ready to play, especially with Kirk Cousins the unquestioned starter. But Cousins’ contract situation gives the Vikings a Plan B that, based on what Mond does behind the scenes, could become a Plan A by 2023. It possibly could happen sooner, if the Vikings believe he’s ready and/or the offense has plateaued under Cousins.
However it plays out, the fact that Mond becomes the first quarterback to arrive in round three since Fran Tarkenton will serve only to make Vikings fans more interested in seeing how things go with a guy who could become Minnesota’s answer to the trend toward quarterbacks who can both run the play that’s called -- and who can then making something happen on the fly, if the play that’s called falls apart.
That would be fitting, since the Vikings had one of the original guys who could do that in Tarkenton.
For more on Mond and other Vikings issues, check out the attached video interview with Vikings G.M. Rick Spielman.