Kellen Mond had a point to prove on Tuesday.
After four years as Texas A&M’s quarterback, a tenure that had its ups and downs, Mond wanted to show pro scouts that he can do everything during the Aggies’ pro day.
Take snaps under center? That’s all he took.
Take charge? He compiled his own pro day script rather than relying on a private quarterbacks coach.
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Display his athleticism? He ran a personal-best 4.56-second 40-yard dash.
Mond isn’t considered among the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL Draft (he’s ninth according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler), but he’s determined that he can do anything Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Trey Lance or Zach Wilson can do. Moreover, he’s convinced he has already done something to separate himself.
“Personally, I don’t mind being underrated,” Mond said. “I think it’s pretty telling how a quarterback is able to change an entire culture.
“If somebody told you that Kellen Mond loses his No. 1 receiver from the year before and his other three top receivers at the time, that he would have his best season and go 9-1? I’m pretty sure 100 percent of people would have told me ‘No.’”
Elevating the Aggies from a program searching for an identity and leadership following Kevin Sumlin’s firing to a team in contention for the College Football Playoff in Jimbo Fisher’s third year is the strongest item on Mond’s résumé. Growing in a new offense drastically different from the one he was recruited for and thriving in it by his senior season speaks volumes.
The bumpy road to mastering Fisher’s pro-style scheme is what makes Mond a curiosity, specifically, his accuracy and consistency. Both were evasive at times during his sophomore and junior seasons. In his senior season, though, he shined in both departments, a huge reason why the Aggies finished the season ranked fourth nationally.
What most impressed Fisher was how Mond handled it all.
“We always talk about the physical skills, but I think it’s the mental skills and mental drive and fortitude to be able to succeed with the ups and downs of playing that position,” Fisher said. “His willingness to say ‘These are my goals,’ that they match the day-to-day habits to meet those goals.
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“Kellen loves the process of football as much as he loves playing football, and that’s what all the great guys do.”
Mond got a chance to show that side of himself at the Senior Bowl, and Tuesday’s pro day marked just another step in that process, though it focused mostly on the physical side. That’s why Mond wanted to make his own script, to further validate the intangibles but also answer questions about his physical ability. While not necessarily revolutionary, it’s an uncommon practice that gave Mond full ownership of his performance.
“I came up with my own script on things I knew I needed to show the NFL,” Mond said. “Also, me being self-critical on myself, go out and command, get all the receivers and running backs in position, and run my own pro day.”
And while Fields drew plenty of attention with his performance Tuesday and Wilson made waves with an off-balance throw during his recent pro day, Mond had one of his own to show off:
— K M o n d (@TheKellenMond) March 30, 2021
Texas A&M loses only two defensive starters from its 2020 squad and both of them, defensive tackle Bobby Brown and linebacker Buddy Johnson, shined during pro day testing.
Johnson had the best vertical jump (38.2 inches), the best broad jump (10 feet, 8 inches) and a 40-yard dash (4.5 seconds) second to only cornerback Nick Harvey. He also turned in a 4.03-second short shuttle time.
Couple that with Johnson’s consistent play and production for the Aggies’ defense over the last two seasons (he led the team in tackles in 2019 and 2020 and ranked first or second in tackles for loss both years) and it makes for a solid package.
Johnson said the feedback from scouts in attendance was positive.
“A lot of teams were impressed with my football IQ,” Johnson said. “But I understand this is not the end of the road, this is only the beginning for me. So I’m going right back to work.”
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Brown, who weighed in at 321 pounds, turned in a strong 40-yard dash time for someone his size: 4.98 seconds.
As a comparison, only one of the 16 players at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine who weighed in at 320 pounds or more ran the 40 in less than 5 seconds, and none were defensive linemen.
Rated as Brugler’s 12th-best defensive tackle in the draft, Brown said he was shooting for a 4.8-second 40.
Receiver Jhamon Ausbon and linebacker Anthony Hines III, two players who opted out of the 2020 season, performed at pro day and also discussed their decisions publicly for the first time since August.
Ausbon, who was the Aggies’ leading receiver in 2019 and a consistent contributor all three years on campus, said it was difficult to endure initially but seeing the team succeed pleased him.
“It hurt me from the beginning,” Ausbon said. “I’ve never not played football in my life for a year since I was 4. So it was a lot different.
“But when I see my brothers out there winning and playing great, seeing they’re happy, it was no longer about me at that point. I was hurt, dealing with all these things in private, but at the end of the day, I was supporting them fully. They were winning, that’s all that mattered.
“I definitely wanted to play this season, but things didn’t work like that. So I did what I could, which was support them as much as I can.”
Hines, who was the second-leading tackler in 2019 and would’ve been a major contributor again in 2020, said his decision was equally challenging but necessary, because of family members he did not want to potentially expose to COVID-19.
“As tough as the decision was, I do believe it was the right decision for me,” Hines said. “It was really just my family that was in my mind. My parents have underlying conditions, and I don’t want to go directly into those, but it’s serious enough where I had to consider, ‘OK, how many hospital beds are available in the Dallas area?’
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“It was super tough for me. I went through all of fall camp, every single practice, I went through all of the hard part. But at the end of the day, I had to make that decision, and I wouldn’t change anything going back.”
Hines admitted how hard it was to watch his team succeed without him.
“It was extremely tough to watch, just feeling like I should be out there,” Hines said. “But on the flip side, super awesome to see my guys succeed, to see that linebacker corps and that defense rise to where they did. … I’m just really proud of how they did.”
(Photo of Kellen Mond: Courtesy of Bailey Orr / Texas A&M Athletics)
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