By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Responding to questions about Ryan Mallett, ESPN’s NFL insider Chris Mortensen described his answers as “VERY EXTENSIVE.”
His reputation for accuracy is well-founded.
Mortensen shared Mallett pros and cons that he gleaned from conversations with NFL people who are paid good money to judge college players. He detailed the microscopic vetting that NFL teams apply, particularly to quarterbacks. And, he did it with such thoroughness that there was no room for some of his good stuff.
Mallett’s pros are obvious. Mortensen started with his arm — “There isn’t a big throw he can’t make” — moved on to his height, explained how NFL people like that Bobby Petrino demands so much of his quarterback, and said Mallett’s few interceptions shows he understands how to take care of the ball. Intangibles include a passion for the game and football smarts, he said.
The cons begin with his erratic spells in some games. Although Mallett threw for 55 yards on a fourth-quarter drive for a go-ahead TD at LSU, he was only 3-of-10 on the possession. He was 17-of-39 for the evening, making him 53-of-135 in four SEC road losses.
One general manager told Mortensen that Mallett “can be rattled and lose focus during stretches of games.”
“So, consistency is an issue and they believe that is a byproduct of a fairly limited amount of starts,” Mortensen said. “There are some very good football people in the NFL — I’ll use Bill Parcells as an example — who believe a quarterback needs three years of starting at the collegiate level before you can safely invest a first- or even second-round draft pick.“
Mallett started three games at Michigan before he transferred to Arkansas and sat out last year. He started every game in the recent 7-5 season.
More than one person told Mortensen that they can’t remember a 6-foot-7 quarterback who has been successful in the NFL. Some say such height leads to an erratic throwing motion; others say NFL defenders love to zero in on big targets in the pocket. Although Mallett weighs almost 240, NFL folks say he appears to be a guy who needs to get stronger “to withstand the beating a quarterback takes over a 16- to 20-game season — and, remember this is a league that is serious about going to an 18-game regular season in the near future …”
Mortensen did not mention Mallett pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication in April, but he made it clear that NFL teams will know about any and all skeletons. Especially in the case of quarterbacks, he said, a “team that is spending millions on a top pick will look at “every nook and cranny of your life …”
Teams will look into his immediate and extended family, even talk to his former teammates at Michigan. “In an era that produces a Ryan Leaf, a Michael Vick, and a JaMarcus Russell, teams leave no stone unturned, so to speak …,” Mortensen said.
“The pressure and scrutiny of being a first-round quarterback in the NFL far exceeds anything a college quarterback experiences, even if you’ve played at Michigan and Arkansas,” he said. “An organization, the head coach, and teammates must be able to trust that guy — always.”
On top of all else, NFL teams want accuracy, decision-making, and physical skills. “Very much in his favor is his ability to make every big throw and force the opponent to defend the entire field,” Mortensen said. “So, if he can refine the other throws, you’re looking at a top pick, in my opinion, with another year under his belt and another year of maturity and growth.”
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
