General manager Rick Spielman deviated from his typical course on Friday night, both by not using the Vikings' stockpile of third-round picks to move up into the second round, and by using his second pick in the 2021 NFL draft on a developmental quarterback.
The Vikings selected Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond in the third round with the 66th overall pick, jumping into the middle of a short run on mid-round passers. Mond was taken two picks after the Buccaneers selected Florida's Kyle Trask, and one pick before the Texans added Stanford quarterback Davis Mills.
Mond (6-3, 211 pounds) is an athletic, dual-threat passer who threw for 71 touchdowns and ran for 22 touchdowns during his four seasons for the Aggies. He'll essentially replace backup quarterback Sean Mannion, who was not re-signed this offseason, joining current backups Jake Browning and Nate Stanley.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins, who turns 33 in August, is currently under contract for two more seasons.Mond is the first mid-round quarterback drafted by the Vikings since 2008's fifth round.
Defense wasn't ignored for long, as the Vikings drafted former North Carolina linebacker Chazz Surratt in the third round with the 78th overall pick.
Surratt (6-2, 229 pounds) was initially a Tar Heels quarterback, appearing in a game as recently as 2018 before converting to linebacker. He's considered a strong athlete but raw at linebacker, where he had 12.5 sacks in 24 games over the past two seasons.
Surratt gives the Vikings another long-term option, a couple months after starter Anthony Barr renegotiated his contract to become a free agent in 2022.
The Vikings drafted tackle Christian Darrisaw during Thursday night's first round. They also had 86th and 90th overall in the third round Friday.
