The Vikings Have a ‘Project Player’ — and You Know Who It Is
Dustin Baker
|
When the Minnesota Vikings drafted Brian O’Neill in 2018, he was perceived as a ‘project player’ that would necessitate growth and development before experiencing meaningful, starting action on the team’s offensive line.
That prognosis for the University of Pittsburgh alumnus was widespread as scouts across the board didn’t go all-in on O’Neill. Indeed, he was a 2nd-Round pick, but he was classified as ‘raw.’ So, the working theory was that Vikings loyalists would just have to wait on the maturation of O’Neill.
That hypothesis was wrong.
O’Neill started in the Vikings Week 2 game at Green Bay — the infamous Daniel Carlson game — and never relinquished his spot. In fact, O’Neill is the only player on Minnesota’s offensive line to consistently perform admirably, a scathing indictment for the Vikings offensive trenches from a pass-protection standpoint.
Now, the Vikings employ another project player. His name is Kellen Mond, a quarterback from Texas A&M that was drafted at the end of April out of the 3rd Round. If current signal-caller Kirk Cousins flounders in 2021 or 2022, the working theory is that Mond will eventually take over the big job.
While the Vikings have other project players on the roster — most teams do — Mond is the tantalizing one. Minnesota drafted Christian Ponder in 2011 and Teddy Bridgewater in 2014 to start, seemingly immediately. They did just that, and the rest is history — in varying degrees of success.
This time is different, though. Should Mond see any on-the-field action in 2021, it will indicate that Cousins is hurt or that his career has totally nosedived. This potential sunsetting period on Cousins contract in unfamiliar territory for the Vikings. That is — the team does not usually have a young quarterback poised to take over in the backdrop. Throughout Vikings history, the franchise prefers to find an aging veteran or Ponder-Bridgewater type to steer the ship. It’s why the free-agent signing of Cousins in 2018 felt so foreign.
Mond’s arrival will have Daunte Culpepper vibes. Minnesota selected him in 1999, but he did not start until the following year, which became a Pro Bowl campaign for the former Viking.
Consider Cousins the almighty patch-over quarterback — a scenario that most fans of the team hope ends in Cousins’ success. That will have meant Cousins made a deep playoff run, thus reducing the need for Mond.
Bleacher Report taps Mond as the team’s keynote project player as well. He made Brad Gagnon’s “Most Intriguing Projects” list. He opined on Mond:
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, some scouts figured quarterback Kellen Mond could sneak into the first round of the draft. And Chris Simms of NBC Sports rated as the fourth-best quarterback in the class. “He’s a machine throwing the ball, as pure and consistent a thrower as anyone in this class,” Simms tweeted. “Explosive arm.” But the tantalizing Texas A&M product slid into Round 3, where he landed with the Minnesota Vikings, who owe veteran Kirk Cousins $76 million over the next two years. Barring an injury to Cousins, that almost certainly means Mond will hold a tablet as a rookie—and likely as a sophomore as well. And that’s fine, because despite possessing all the tools to become a franchise quarterback, Mond needs work and time. It will help that Cousins said he’s an “open book” for Mond.
Mond has an important task on the immediate horizon. He must supersede Jake Browning and Nate Stanley for the QB2 role on the 2021 depth chart. If he does not, it will leave many Minnesotans scratching their heads as to why a coveted 3rd-Round prospect isn’t ready for a backup quarterback gig.