Welcome to The Undroppables’ latest series of posts previewing the 2021 QB draft class. The 2021 draft could offer an abundance of talent at the position similar to the 2018 class, which saw four quarterbacks drafted in the top ten and five in the first round. In each post, I will cover a tier of 2021 QB prospects, starting with the Best of the Best and working our way through the sleepers and potential career backups.
Specifically, this post will cover the quarterbacks who likely won’t have a shot at becoming NFL starters unless they greatly improve or are put in due to an injury. This is the second-to-last installment of these articles, with the last covering the quarterbacks who may have been forgotten about over the past year. Note that the QBs covered in this installment are not necessarily better than those forgotten prospects.
Kellen Mond – Texas A&M
Kellen Mond left high school as a high four-star prospect, and the 3rd ranked dual-threat QB in the 2017 class. Mond chose Texas A&M, and entered his freshman season as the backup to incumbent QB Nick Starkel. However, the first game of the season saw Starkel go down with an injury. Mond filled in for Starkel over the first ten games of the season and played well, but was not asked to do very much for the run-first Aggies in the passing game.
As Mond’s sophomore season approached, Head Coach Kevin Sumlin was fired from the Aggies, and A&M brought in Jimbo Fisher to lead the program. During spring camp and leading up to the season, there was a long-winded QB battle between Mond and Starkel for the starting job. However, Fisher chose Mond as his starting QB and hasn’t looked back, as Mond has started all 33 games that A&M has played since.
Mond passed for 2,282 yards while throwing 19 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions in 2020, and was able to lead Texas A&M to a 9-1 season with their lone loss to eventual national champion, Alabama.
Strengths
Mond never plays like he’s in trouble. He stays under control and doesn’t make poor decisions with the ball, even when under pressure. Along with this, Mond has a relatively fast release and uses it efficiently to attack the shorter areas of the field. His release is coupled with above-average arm strength, but his arm mechanics are lacking. Because of this, there is a whole other level to Mond’s game that could be unlocked in which he would likely become a better touch passer and be able to place the ball more accurately.
Mond also showcased a propensity to make plays on the ground during his time at A&M. Despite lacking elite athleticism, Mond can make plays with his feet and escape out of the pocket. He is a tough runner, but lacks the ability to make defenders miss in the run game. Along with this, Mond possesses great ability to throw on the run after he escapes the pocket.
Weaknesses
Mond has had a very inconsistent career, sometimes even looking like a different quarterback comparing one drive to the next. Overall, Mond’s largest pitfalls are in the accuracy department. His career completion percentage is 59% and his highest mark in a single season is only 63.3%. Fortunately, Mond has consistently improved in this area over his time at A&M, with his completion percentage and interceptions per attempt improving in all of his four seasons as the starter.
Another worry with Mond is his lack of processing the field. Most of Mond’s reads were limited to just one side of the field while in college. This worked well for A&M most of the time, but it likely will not get the job done in the NFL. Overall, I see Mond as a middle-round pick in the NFL draft, with teams eyeing him as a backup with the physical traits to become a starter if coached well.
My Grade: C // Projected Draft Capital: 3rd-5th Round
Sam Ehlinger – Texas
Sam Ehlinger played high school football at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, the same high school where two current NFL QBs (Drew Brees and Nick Foles) played. Ehlinger graduated high school having broken their career records for both passing touchdowns and passing yards, leading to most recruiting sites listing him as a 4-star recruit. After choosing to attend his hometown team of Texas, Ehlinger was faced with an uphill battle for the starting job against incumbent starter Shane Buechele. However, with Buechele suffering a few injuries and Ehlinger playing well in his stead, Ehlinger was able to separate himself from Buechele in the 2018 season. Buechele transferred to SMU prior to the 2019 season and Ehlinger was left with the starting job locked down.
Ehlinger put together his best statistical season in 2019, throwing for 3,663 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing 65.2% of his passes. Meanwhile, the young QB also ran for 663 yards and 7 touchdowns. Unfortunately, Ehlinger was unable to continue his great play in 2020. Ehlinger’s completion percentage dropped to 60.2% and his rushing production lowered, but he was still able to finish his season with a 7-3 record.
Strengths
Sam Ehlinger reminds me of Baker Mayfield or Tim Tebow in his confidence (almost cockiness) on the football field. Ehlinger plays like he thinks he can do anything on the field, and he often delivers on that confidence. His energy, confidence, and leadership are likely his best traits and can help him contribute to the team’s confidence if called upon as a starter in the NFL.
This is not to say that Ehlinger doesn’t have the physical and mental traits to succeed on the football field. He makes his passes with good anticipation and puts the ball where his receivers can gain more yards after the catch. He uses his arm mechanics to create a quick release, and he has worked to improve his arm strength throughout his college career. In addition, Ehlinger uses his legs well and is good in the scramble drill for the most part.
Weaknesses
While Ehlinger looks good rushing on tape, it’s a byproduct of one of his biggest weaknesses in translating to the NFL game. First off, Ehlinger looks to leave the pocket far too often and doesn’t seem to understand how to work the pocket effectively. He often holds onto the ball far too long, which can result in broken plays and sacks. Along with this, Ehlinger lacks the requisite arm strength to succeed at the NFL level, even though he has improved in that area over the past season. Ehlinger appears to be yet another athletic, short-passing QB who can succeed in the college game, but lacks the skills to succeed in the pro game.
Overall, Ehlinger doesn’t strike me as a future starter, but if a coach is crazy enough, he could be used as a Taysom Hill/Easton Stick/Chris Streveler-type gadget player. He would likely not see the same success as Taysom Hill, but such a switch could help him stay in the league longer.
My Grade: D // Projected Draft Capital: 5th-7th Round
Make sure to follow Kyle on Twitter @KL_Fantasy, and be on the lookout for the subsequent tiers of rookie QBs throughout this week and the next. You can find the previous tiers–The Elite, The Very Good, and The Late Firsts–at the corresponding links.
