Chicago Bears: Five quarterbacks the team must scout for the 2021 NFL Draft
Mid-Round Sleepers
Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
Kellen Mond signed with the Aggies as a highly touted quarterback prospect out of IMG Academy and he has not disappointed. Since taking over the job during his true freshman season, Mond has been an exciting player to watch in the SEC and has improved each season.
When the Chicago Bears took Mitchell Trusbisky with the second-overall pick in 2017, he had really only started one year of college football. His experience was a legitimate concern. Teams won’t have that with Mond. 2020 will be his fourth year as a starter in arguably the top conference in college football.
Standing at 6’3 and nearly 220 pounds, I liken Mond’s game to Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott coming out of Mississippi State. Dak has similar attributes and was also a three-year starter in the SEC with strong dual-threat ability. He would end up falling to the fourth round in the 2016 draft, however, and we could see something similar with Mond.
If Mond can continue to improve upon his numbers in 2020, we could be looking at a second to fourth-round pick, that is polished and experienced enough to start early on in his NFL career. If the Chicago Bears can find their Prescott, fans should be really happy.
K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
K.J. Costello was another top-notch high school quarterback recruit, and he elected to sign with Stanford in the 2016 class. After redshirting his first year on campus, he took over in 2017 starting the majority of the games for the Cardinals. However, it was his 2018 season that really put him on the map as an NFL prospect.
As a junior in 2018, he would start all 13 games, throwing for 29 touchdowns and nearly 3,600 yards while completing over 65% of his passes. A more traditional pocket passer, Costello stands at 6’5″ and over 220 pounds. He will catch the eyes of scouts due to impressive size, arm strength and overall smarts.
When he returned to Stanford in 2019, he was looking to improve his NFL draft stock and enter the first-round discussion. However, he dealt with a concussion and nagging thumb injury which limited him to only 5 games. With the emergence of former 5-star Davis Mills, Costello elected to transfer for his final season of eligibility and wound up at Mississippi State where he can take advantage of Mike Leach’s air raid offense.
If Costello can prove to be healthy and revert back to his 2018 form, we could be looking at a first-round prospect, but for now, he has a wide range of possible draft outcomes.