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Report: Bears, Patriots, More Interested in Kellen Mond, Kyle Trask, Davis Mills
April 28, 2021
The New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among teams that have expressed interest in quarterbacks like Kellen Mond, Kyle Trask and Davis Mills, who are expected to be available on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported those teams have done their due diligence on the group of second-tier arms who could be brought in as developmental talent. The Patriots are the only team of the five mentioned that have been linked to taking a quarterback in Round 1.
However, New England currently has the No. 15 overall pick in Thursday's first round and may be selecting too late to nab one of the five expected first-rounders without trading up.
Pelissero reported the Patriots "spent a long time" in a virtual meeting with Mills during the predraft process. The Stanford product was limited to 14 games played during his college career, throwing for 3,468 yards and 18 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Despite his limited playing time, Mills was the top-rated quarterback in the country coming out of high school and still has all of the talent that made him an impressive prospect. He is nevertheless a pocket-bound passer who does not possess the scrambling ability or in-pocket mobility that most teams prefer in a modern quarterback.
Trask is likewise a big quarterback with a good arm but below-average mobility. The Florida product was a Heisman finalist after throwing for 4,283 yards and 43 touchdowns against eight interceptions last season.
Mond is perhaps the most complete, modern quarterback of the three but, like Mills, lacks elite college production. A four-year starter at Texas A&M, Mond never made an All-American or All-ACC team as he was overshadowed by more can't-miss talents under center. Mond nevertheless was one of the most touted dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation coming out of high school, has a bevy of experience and raised his stock by winning Senior Bowl MVP earlier this year.
The Bears, Vikings, Saints and Bucs all have various levels of need under center. Chicago might need an immediate starter in 2020 if Andy Dalton performs as he has in recent seasons. The Saints will open camp with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill competing for a starting job, but neither are guaranteed to be on the roster after the 2021 season. The Bucs and Vikings both have entrenched starters in Tom Brady and Kirk Cousins, respectively, but Brady turns 44 in August and Cousins remains a league-average NFL starter.