When it comes to the NFL Draft and the Patriots, much of the discussion has been related to the team potentially trading up for a quarterback in the first round.
NBC Sports' Chris Simms could see them trading up for a quarterback, just not in the first round.
Speaking on the “Unbuttoned” podcast, Simms could see New England trading up in Round 2 for Texas A&M's Kellen Mond.
“The way it sounds, to me, I think Kellen Mond is that guy that could be late first round, somebody trades up. Like maybe what Green Bay did with Jordan Love (in the 2020 NFL Draft),” Simms said, via NESN.com. ” … The New England part, too, I could see that: Kellen Mond, late first round, early second round-type guy. If he’s sitting there on the board at maybe 37, 38, or something like that, I wouldn’t be shocked to see New England come up and get him.”
Mond has quietly climbed a number of draft boards and is now being considered an early Day 2 pick by many.
“I think he’s a first-round quarterback,” Simms said. “Again, I could line him up against a lot of other quarterbacks over the last five, 10 years and go, ‘What? What did you see in that guy’s film and you thought he was a first-rounder, and then you watch this guy’s film and you don’t think he’s a first-rounder?’ I don’t understand that. I don’t.
“Decision-making? Great. Elite arm — elite, elite in all aspects, it really is. I will go back to what I said from the start: His only issue is, I wish he would just relax with the ball a little bit and scramble a little bit more. That’s an easy fix. That’s an easy fix. His issues are way easier to fix to me than Trey Lance, who hasn’t really even played a lot of football and I think has somewhat of a hitch in his throwing motion, and the same with Justin Fields, to where I would just go, ‘Man, Kellen Mond, it’s kind of a clean slate.’ You can mold this guy to be a really, you know, special pocket passer, and he’s gonna be able to make big-time plays with his legs here.”
The Texas A&M product finished with 19 touchdowns and three interceptions this past fall.