The Vikings took a quarterback in the third round of the NFL draft, despite having an established starter at that spot already.
For veteran quarterbacks, that can be strange. Third-rounder Kellen Mond could eventually develop into being better than Kirk Cousins, taking his starting position.
However, Cousins doesn’t seem discouraged by Mond’s presence. In fact, based on what Cousins has said about the situation publicly, it seems like he’s ready to be a leader for the younger quarterbacks on the team. Here’s what Cousins told reporters:
“I do the same thing I’ve done with Nate Stanley, Jake Browning, Nate Sudfeld back when I was in Washington. You’re an open book, you’re helpful and you’re there to make yourself available.
I had Rex Grossman when I was a rookie. And Rex had played in a Super Bowl and won a lot of playoff games and started a lot of games in the NFL and was in year 10. So it was great to be able to learn from him. He was a big part of my early development as a football player and I really took every word that he said to heart. …. So I’ve been there and want to certainly be that same resource whenever possible.”
Cousins came into the NFL being seen as more of a backup quarterback out of college. Of course, Cousins worked his way up the depth chart in Washington and eventually moved on, but it probably helps to have a player like Cousins as QB1 — he wasn’t a first-round pick and now he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Maybe Mond can make that same progression.
