Texas A&M star Marcel Reed receives high praise from former Saints QB

Marcel Reed could be what Texas A&M is looking for at quarterback. A program that once had Johnny Manziel and Kyler Murray, the Aggies haven't had much success finding the answer at that position for some time now. However, former Texas A&M passer Kellen Mond is encouraged by what he's seen from Reed.

Reed went 147 of 240 for 1,864 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions through the air last season. Mond is with the UFL's San Antonio Brahmas. He spent time in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

"Marcel is extremely talented," Mond told 'TexAgs Live' on Friday. "I think him being extremely mature, even though you're not the starter, he was ready for that moment. ... This kid is special.

"I've seen a lot of the training videos he's done, so I think he's become stronger, improved as a passer from a technicality standpoint, so I think a lot of it (will be) maybe less on Marcel, but more on the offensive coordinator and some of those offensive coaches figuring out how they can succeed with the weapons they have and also succeed with Marcel at quarterback."

Reed heads into next season relatively under the radar compared to the Aggies' arch-rival's quarterback, Arch Manning. The two teams will meet on Nov. 29.

What do Reed's Texas A&M teammates think of his progression?

Texas A&M running back Rueben Owens spent most of last season nursing a knee injury. Now, he's getting ready for his first full go-round with Reed, and he had an interesting comment about the passer's skillset on Wednesday.

"Marcel has been throwing pretty good," Owens said. "He's just got to get more confident in throwing because he can throw the ball."

As a dual-threat signal-caller, Reed doesn't always have to rely on his arm. He rushed for 547 yards and seven touchdowns on 116 carries last season. Three of those scores were in Texas A&M's win over LSU.

If Reed can put it together and excel at both facets of his game, the Aggies could benefit from it. A lot of eyes have been on his throwing efforts as spring practices have gotten underway.

"Reed is a very athletic guy and that comes out in the nuances of how he throws the football," 247 Sports' Jeff Tarpley wrote Saturday. "He gets back and set very quickly which enables him to start going through his progressions more quickly. His feet are underneath his pads early on in his drops. Reed seems to hold the ball a little higher after the snap comes to him these days which should speed up his delivery."

Reed isn't Arch Manning, whom analysts have been raving about this whole off-season. However, if things go right for Reed and Texas A&M this season, the Aggies' quarterback could vault himself into being one of college football's best.