2011 NFL Draft - Ryan Mallett To Pats Is Talk Of Internet

As The 2011 NFL Draft comes to a close, (we're in Round Five as this blog post is written) the talk of the event is not Cam Newton to the Carolina Panthers, but former Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett, as he was drafted by the New England Patriots.

Dr. Bill Chachkes, Zennie62.com and Football Reporters Online Editor says that Mallett "Still (has) a great deal of potential, but he's got to learn to be humble behind Tom Brady. The Patriots will have to deal with his character issues."

It's those "character issues" that have caused Ryan Mallett, called "Big Tex" and the holder of the Arkansas school record for completions in a game (87 percent), to fall to the Pats late in the 3rd Round, when many projections had him picked as high at the 1st Round.

Specifically, some have called him "arrogant" and was said to have tested positive for drugs. Moreover the whispers around the NFL Draft floor are that Mallett admitted to the problem. That information was as much confirmed in the Kansas City Star.

But, with all that, Ryan Mallett is confirmed as the Pats new quarterback.

What Mallett brings to the table that makes him a steal for the Pats is perhaps the best pocket-presence and pro-style experience of any  of the 2011 NFL Draft QB Prospects.  Plus, there are throws Mallett made in college that aren't typical at that level of play.   For example, Mallett routinely throws without a hitch-step off play action from the I Formation. And Mallett, who's father is a coach and comes from a football family, is adept at reading defensive coverages, perhaps the best at this in the 2011 NFL Draft.

What happens to Mallett from here is in the hands of the Pats. Indeed, Ryan looks like he's in the best place for his future.