Kellen Mond was something of a trendy sleeper pick among quarterbacks in the 2021 Draft, but his first stint in the NFL has ended with a thud.
The Vikings released the former Texas A&M star on Tuesday, just over a year after drafting him in the third round.
The move came as something of a surprise given the relatively high price that the Vikings paid in draft capital, but Mond failed to distinguish himself as a rookie, and apparently he didn't show enough in training camp or the preseason to save his spot on the roster.
Mond's release was perhaps presaged by the Vikings' recent acquisition of former 49ers backup Nick Mullens. It also marked the fifth player to be cut from the 2021 draft, which was run by former general manager Rick Spielman.
In any event, Mond's release was a regrettable development for the draft gurus who seemed to see something in Mond that many others didn't. Chief among them was NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms, who was a very vocal champion of Mond's potential leading up to last year's draft.
In fact, as at least one Twitter user noted, Simms had Mond pegged as the fourth-best quarterback in his class -- ahead of Trey Lance and Justin Fields, who are both penciled in as starters for their respective teams, the 49ers and Bears.
Many others were spiking the football, so to speak, on Simms' whiff:
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