The Vikings wanted Justin Fields; they got Kellen Mond. The Texans got Davis Mills; they wanted Kellen Mond.
Via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kellen Mond’s father, Kevin, says that the Texans were ready to select Mond with the 67th overall pick in the draft. The Vikings took Monday one pick earlier.
“[There was a] phone call from his agent, text message, and the agent said, ‘Hey, the Houston Texans are getting ready to select [Kellen] at pick 67,'” Kevin Mond said. “So, we’re sitting on the couch and [Kellen] gets the phone call a couple of minutes later and it’s a team. . . . Then, when he hung up the phone, he goes, ‘I’m going to the Vikings.’ The Texans had already told his agent they’re getting ready to take him at pick 67. The Vikings happened to have the pick 66.”
The Texans quickly pivoted to Mills. Kellen Mond seems to be pleased with the outcome.
“I think he’s comfortable and he likes the decision,” Kevin Mond said. “He’s thrilled about being in Minnesota. . . . In Houston, he might be rushed into it. [He can] sit back and watch and learn. But he’s a fast learner.”
In Houston, Kellen Mond would have been close to home. Kevin Mond says Kellen is fine with that.
“He wanted to get away,” Kevin Mond said. “He wanted to start his own life, his own career and get away and do things away from family and Texas, and A&M is right down the highway. He just wants to start his own journey, and I think that’s good.”
Given the current organizational disarray in Houston, Kellen Mond is better off in Minnesota.