By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com

FAYETTEVILLE — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s path to NFL success is well known.

The former Michigan man wasn’t selected until the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. In time, Brady won the starting job, led the Patriots to three Super Bowl titles and now is regarded as one of the best to ever play the position.

It’s a road former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett certainly would like to follow. The good news: he’ll get to learn from Brady.

Mallett’s uncomfortable tumble in the 2011 NFL Draft came to a welcomed end when the Patriots selected him in the third round with the 74th pick on Friday night. It wrapped up what had been a frustrating process for Mallett, who had first-round hopes but was the seventh quarterback taken.

Still, there was plenty of joy and optimism from Mallett and his family, who had gathered at a hunting lodge outside of Stuttgart for the weekend.

“We’re relieved on two fronts,” Mallett’s mother, Debbie, said by phone Friday night. “No. 1 that he’s gone and No. 2 what a great organization and a great place for him to be. That’s probably the best fit out there for him right now.”

But Debbie Mallett admitted the wait was “terrible, terrible, terrible” as the picks flew off the draft board the past two days. Mallett and his family watched as four quarterbacks were selected in the first round Thursday. They saw two more — Texas Christian’s Andy Dalton and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick — go with the 35th and 36th picks in the second round Friday.

And they waited longer.

“It just seems like that once one domino fell they all fell and everybody was just following each other,” Mallett’s agent, J.R. Carroll said. “And there was nothing we could do to stop it.”

Mallett, who was one of the most scrutinized players during the pre-draft process because of rumors of drug use and other character concerns, had to wait 28 more picks before receiving the phone call from the Patriots. It was a clear sign teams were wary of selecting Mallett, who pundits believed had both first-round talent and issues that could serve as a roadblock.

But Carroll said “there’s no one out there that’s going to say the Patriots don’t do their homework” and added New England’s decision to select his client was “validation of Ryan’s credibility.”

Mallett told the New England media on Friday night he was glad to be with the organization. He also indicated he was mislabeled throughout the process and added any alleged drug issues were “in the past.”

“Obviously it’s frustrating,” Mallett said of his draft slide, according to the Boston Herald. “But for anybody to get a chance to play in the NFL — it’s something that not a lot of people get to do. It’s a dream come true for me. … When I got the call, it was a great feeling to know that someone wanted me. I’ve been working my tail off for this.”

Mallett has some familiarity with New England after the organization hosted him for a two-day visit earlier this month. It was the last of several trips in which the quarterback crisscrossed the country, sitting down with numerous organizations as they prepared for the draft.

New England coach Bill Belichick told the Boston media on Friday night the Patriots evaluate the “total player” and were obviously comfortable with Mallett.

There were three quarterbacks on the New England roster before the draft in Brady, Brian Hoyer and Jonathan Crompton. Mallett will get a chance to compete for the backup job, but won’t be rushed onto the field barring an injury to Brady.

“We just felt like he was a good player,” Belichick said. “He’s had a lot of production. He’s won everywhere he’s been: high school, college. He did a good job at Michigan. They came in and changed offenses and that was definitely beyond his control. I think he’s been a successful, productive quarterback all the way through his career: high school, college. He’s an impressive guy to talk to.”

It was a situation ESPN personality and former Tampa Bay and Oakland coach Jon Gruden believed was perfect for Mallett. Gruden, who had praised Mallett’s football talents and on-the-field instincts entering the draft, said the quarterback will get plenty of time to learn in the NFL.

“For this kid to have the opportunity to play for Bill Belichick and watch Tom Brady on a daily basis, it’s the best thing that ever happened to Ryan Mallett,” Gruden said during ESPN’s broadcast. “I don’t care if he’s the first pick in the draft. I’d rather be in the position he’s in right now.”

So Mallett will join the Patriots after rewriting the Arkansas passing record books in two years as a starter. The quarterback led the Razorbacks to a 10-3 record last season, which included their first appearance in a Bowl Championship Game.

Coaches and teammates have backed Mallett the past couple of months, defending any claims he wasn’t a good leader. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said in a statement Friday night he was proud of Mallett and watched him “mature on and off the field.”

“Each Saturday I saw him make throws no one else in America was making, and I know he has the physical tools to be successful in the NFL,” Petrino said. “Ryan played an instrumental part in the transition when I arrived, and I can’t say enough about what he has done for this program.”

Carroll said Mallett was scheduled for a 6 a.m. flight to Boston this morning and will spend the day in the area. He won’t be permitted to sign a contract or be with the organization until the current NFL labor situation is resolved, so Carroll said his client plans to spend time between Dallas at a training facility and in Los Angeles working with former NFL quarterback Ken O’Brien.

Friday was the end of what had been a draining process for Mallett and his family. In fact, Debbie Mallett admitted she was a “little irritated” by the things that had been said or written about her son during the two-month leadup to the draft.

But in the end, she, her husband Jim, and the rest of the group that gathered together for the draft were thrilled with the way it ended for Mallett.

“I just knew he was going (Thursday) night and then I thought early in the second, and then it went into the third and I’m like, ‘Ah,’” Debbie Mallett said. “Thank goodness he finally went though. There was a reason for (the wait) and I guess that’s why. He got a good fit.”