Ryan Mallett … What They’re Saying
“Ryan Mallett is not just the most intriguing player in this year’s NFL draft. In so many ways, he is the draft — everything we love and hate about it. He is a tantalizing talent, a worrisome character, a walking rumor mill, a marvel on film, a statistical freak, a top-five talent who could easily slip to the second round, a guy you might love if you met him and one you might hate if you never do. He was a great quarterback at Arkansas, but some people question whether his skills will translate to the next level. Everybody has an opinion on Mallett. He could be a franchise player for 15 years or flame out in three. This is why we watch the draft.” — Michael Rosenbeg, SI.com
“I think he does get it. He comes from a unique background. His mom and dad were teachers and coaches. Football is very important to him. The thing I really liked about Ryan Mallett was his background playing under Bobby Petrino at Arkansas. And I know Coach Petrino well enough to know that he coaches quarterbacks hard, very demanding. If you watch Mallett play, he’s in a lot of pro style situations, underneath the center, in the shotgun, audibling, check-with-me’s. They do a lot of good things on offense at Arkansas. Ryan Mallett can draw protections, blocking schemes, and he does have a beautiful throwing motion that I know a lot of guys in the league are excited about. He can really hum it.” — Jon Gruden, ESPN NFL analyst and former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach
“In terms of pure passing ability, Mallett deserves to be at the top of this year’s quarterback class, not squarely in the middle of the ‘second tier.’ Mallett’s 62 touchdown passes (only 19 interceptions) against SEC competition the past two seasons serve as a mighty testament to the strength and accuracy of the Howitzer he has for a right throwing arm. Much has been made about the intangibles, or lack thereof, he might bring to an NFL huddle. These concerns are valid, according to league sources, but are not the only worries scouts have about the 6-7, 253-pound passer.” — Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
“The Dolphins’ first pick in this week’s NFL Draft should be Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. The way things look, Miami likely could trade down in Thursday’s first round from 15th overall to near the end of the round, maybe add a second-round pick and still get Mallett, whose massive potential is too great to pass up at a position this crucial. Risk? Yes. Maybe the draft’s biggest steal? That, too.” — Greg Cote, Miami Herald columnist
“It’s going to depend on the team. Some teams will have them off their board and don’t want him at all. And some teams will draft him and just keep an eye on him. … I think he’s got all the tools to do well in the NFL if he’s willing to pay the price to be a great quarterback.” — Dan Shonka, general manager and national scout for Ourlads’ Scouting Services
“I don’t put a lot into these things coming up, anonymous sources and things that come up out of the blue the closer you get to the draft. I think you have to take with a grain of salt. There’s been a lot of people in here that have interviewed him, worked him out. All indications to me is that they like what they see.” — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino
“He has the big arm. He can make all the throws. He doesn’t have the kind of mobility that Michael Vick or somebody like that does, but who does? It’s a passing league. Ryan Mallett will do well at the next level. He has some liabilities like every player at the next level has liabilities. He has good leadership skills. That counts for a lot. … He’ll get drafted. He’ll play fine.” — Matt Millen, ESPN analyst and former Detroit Lions general manager, during an appearance on the Bottom Line with Dave Barr radio show
“The more I watch Mallett on tape, the more I like what I see. In the South Carolina game he faced repeated pressure calls, and he really demonstrated an ability to move around in the pocket and even scramble to his left like Ben Roethlisberger does and look deep. When the inside pressure broke down the pocket, Mallett demonstrated more than once that he could stand in there and take a lick while flicking the ball to a shallow crossing route like I have seen Joe Flacco do with his great height.” — Pat Kirwan, NFL.com senior analyst
