Local pro days are not just a chance for potential draft picks to impress a team, they also offer an opportunity for some veterans to demonstrate they are worthy of another shot by taking part in tryouts.
The San Francisco 49ers have extended that opportunity to several veterans, among them a quarterback who saw his hopes of being drafted realized just three years ago.
Kellen Mond, a third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings out of Texas A&M in 2021, will try out for the Niners at their local pro day on Wednesday.
Per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, the 49ers will also try out tight ends Curtis Hodges (Arizona State), Hunter Kampmoyer (Oregon) and Tommy Sweeney (Boston College).
Hodges has spent the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders without featuring in a game. Kampmoyer has played one game in three seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sweeney was a seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2019 and played three seasons with Buffalo. He missed the entirety of the 2020 season due to a foot injury and complications from COVID-19.
He spent time with the New York Giants last year but did not play after being placed on the non-football injury list. Sweeney was released in November.
But it is Mond who is the most intriguing veteran attendee. After quickly fizzling out in Minnesota, Mond spent just over a year with the Cleveland Browns in an offense similar to the scheme run by Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers. Mond spent last season on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.
Given his draft pedigree and his prior experience, a strong tryout for Mond might convince the 49ers to add him to their roster for training camp.
San Francisco has Brandon Allen as its clear QB3 behind Brock Purdy and Joshua Dobbs. However, a team that knows all too well how crippling quarterback injuries can be could see value in having Mond with the team over the summer for camp and then into preseason. It’s unlikely he would push Allen for the third-string job, but there’s certainly a scenario where the Niners could stash a fourth quarterback on the practice squad for extra insurance.
That turn of events requires Mond impressing in Santa Clara on Wednesday, with his presence adding a little more spice to proceedings at the 49er facility.