One would think standard procedure for the Chicago Bears or any other team is to have the GM and head coach present at the pro day of a quarterback they’re interested in. Ryan Pace though is not a “standard” kind of guy. He doesn’t want anybody to know who he may covet and will use his attendance at pro days as smokescreens. He’s already done it before. That is why his presence at the North Dakota State and Alabama pro days are hard to take seriously. However, one man could be the key to determining which QB the Bears do draft if any. That is John DeFilippo.
He is their quarterbacks coach and recently promoted to passing game coordinator. So the Bears clearly think highly of the man. They value his opinion when it comes to that position. A big reason Matt Nagy scooped him up last offseason. DeFilippo also knows a thing or two about helping to draft good quarterbacks. Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, and Gardner Minshew were all selected during his stints with the Raiders, Eagles, and Jaguars respectively.
So he’s done this thing before.
It appears the Bears have kept him busy too. Where it gets interesting is the choices of pro days he’s been in attendance for thus far. DeFilippo first popped up two weeks ago on the west coast. There he worked out Stanford quarterback Davis Mills. Now according to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, it appears his next visit is down at Texas A&M. Showcase of another young QB in Kellen Mond.
Teams with OC or QB coaches in attendance Texas A&M pro-day to watch Kellen Mond:
* Steelers
* Panthers
* Bears
* Bengals
* Cowboys
* Vikings pic.twitter.com/iHoVuGWRYY— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 30, 2021
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What makes this so interesting is the connection Mond and Mills share. Both are widely viewed as Day 2 quarterbacks in this class. Players most likely to be selected either in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. SM and the Chicago Tribune both reported that Chicago was doing a lot of extra work on QBs in that range. The fact they sent DeFilippo to watch Mond personally is worth noting.
Chicago Bears have a lot to sort through with Mond
In terms of talent? There is plenty to like. Mond has good size, plenty of athleticism, and features an arm capable of making almost any throw in the playbook. He also showed steady improvement over his college career. His completion percentage went from 51.5% as a freshman to 63.3% as a senior. He finished with 19 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2020, by far the most efficient ratio of his college career.
He also delivered some strong performances against big opponents. Mond had 318 yards and three touchdowns against Alabama and then 338 yards and three touchdowns against Florida. His confidence and poise really seemed to take a step up. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared him to Colin Kaepernick thanks to his athleticism and RPO ability. The problem is like Kaepernick he has consistency issues.
Especially when it comes to attacking down the field.
He didn’t throw deep a lot for the Aggies and when he did they lacked arc and were too often overthrown. Just 35% of his throws outside the numbers last year were completed at the intermediate level. So it’s safe to wonder if he lacks the natural touch to attack opponents deep. This isn’t a dealbreaker for quarterbacks but it’s something that is challenging to overcome. No doubt that is what the Chicago Bears sent DeFilippo down there to determine.
