Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond is taking charge.
From Thursday, April 29, to Saturday, May 1, football fans everywhere will be focused on one thing: the NFL Draft. With the 2021 draft quickly approaching, former A&M players are readying themselves by taking charge of their scouting profiles.
Mond is no exception.
Rather than having someone else prepare his Pro Day routine, Mond called his own shots, which he said showcases what he can bring to an organization.
“Around the country, I’ve seen different quarterbacks’ Pro Days,” Mond said during A&M’s Pro Day media availability. “Usually other quarterbacks have their quarterback guru or coach commanding the Pro Day, but I think it tells a lot about my leadership and my mental approach to the game where I can control my own Pro Day.”
At Pro Day on Tuesday, March 30, the signal caller ran a 4.59 40-yard dash, and weighed in at 211 pounds at 6-foot-2.5.
However, Mond said his focus was not his stat sheet, but on being true to himself that day.
“Most quarterbacks and most players, they have their own quarterback coach, receiver coach, person who runs their own Pro Day, person who comes up with their own scripts for their quarterbacks,” Mond said. “But I think just me being self-critical of things that I need to work on [and] show the NFL, I thought that I’d come up with my own Pro Day script and go out and execute it at a high level.”
Despite focusing on leadership rather than statistics at Pro Day, Mond managed to shatter three all-time A&M records and tie for one throughout his tenure as starting quarterback.
The San Antonio native leads the program in passing yards with 9,661 yards, overtaking the previous record-holder, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel. Mond also surpassed Manziel in total offensive yards, with Mond posting 11,269 throughout his career with the Aggies while Manziel had 9,989.
With 71 career passing touchdowns, Mond also claims the A&M record for most career passing touchdowns. Lastly, he is tied with Manziel for total touchdowns at 93.
Mond said coming from a military family has largely attributed to his success in his quick transition to college football.
“Just being thrown into the fire, looking back at it I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” Mond said.
Mond further increased his draft stock by being named the MVP of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, a feat that four previous quarterbacks under former Florida State and current A&M coach Jimbo Fisher have been named.
Fisher said Mond’s unyielding determination in meeting his goals has caused NFL representatives to seek a closer look at the quarterback.
“I have had a lot of people ask about Kellen,” Fisher said. “Quite a few GMs, head coaches, assistant coaches [and] scouts. We’ve got quite a flow of guys and — I always say this — we always talk about the physical skills, but I think it’s the mental skills and the mental drive and fortitude to be able to succeed with the ups and downs of playing that position that I see him grind on. His willingness to say, ‘These are my goals,’ that match [his] day-to-day habits to reach those goals.”
With his college career complete, Senior Bowl MVP under his belt and Pro Day behind him, there is little else for Mond to do but await the draft. While Mond said he felt that he is underrated despite his track record and accomplishments, he is looking forward to seeing what fate has in store for him.
“I don’t mind being underrated because the chips are going to fall where [they] may,” Mond said. “I just try to operate and be even-keeled and let everything happen at the best time for me.”