Former St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers personnel department executive Tony Softli became the latest person to express concerns about the character of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett.
Mallett has a previous arrest for public intoxication.
However, the 6-foot-6, 238-pound strong-armed quarterback has been linked to several unsubstantiated drug rumors by draft analysts and Softli.
Softli weighed in on Mallett on www.101espn.com
With Softli's NFL and college football connections, it's plausible to believe he would be in a position to know something about Mallett's background
"His inconsistency in leading his team to victory or making poor decisions at the most vital time of the game really sends up a red flag," Softli wrote. "Character and drug use issues are starting to rear their ugly head. Heavy rumors of drug use and possible addiction kept him from coming out for the 2010 draft. A lot of people are comparing Mallett to Ryan Leaf. I think Ryan was a better football player, with a cannon for an arm but the immaturity was just too much to overcome. A hair facial test might tell all 32 teams who this person really is."
Softli isn't alone in his skepticism about Mallett as a person.
NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock spoke at length about Mallett during a recent conference call, saying he would have serious reservations about drafting him in the first round.
"I didn't say I have a first round grade on him," Mayock said. "I said that I've got four guys with first round ability. To me there is a distinction there, and people just assume when I say that I think he's a first round guy. Here's what Ryan Mallet is. Ryan Mallett has unbelievable, God-given ability to throw a football. And when he has clear pocket and clear vision, there is nobody in the game better. Comes from an offense where you can see him drop back under center, you can see him play action. And there are two plays in the Georgia game that to me summarize this kid, back to back throws. The first play he throws a 35-yard post against Georgia that was on the line the whole way. Thirty-five yards, on a line, he hit his receiver right in the helmet. It was an unbelievably difficult throw, and he made it look easy.
"Literally the next play on a seven-yard hitch, he made a throw where three Georgia players touched it. An under guy, a linebacker coming under, and a corner from behind. It was one of the worst decisions in throws I've seen on back to back throws. That is the problem with this kid. Every time I get excited he does something from a decision making or an accuracy perspective that bothers me. The common denominator is when he goes bad it's because of pressure in the pocket. When he can't step up, when he can't see, when he doesn't have clear vision, I believe his production goes way down. Having said all of those things, I would be very concerned about taking him in the first round."
Mallett was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference last season, setting or tying 43 school or championship records.
His career average of 29.6 yards per touchdown pass is the highest in SEC history.
His 7,493 career passing yards, 7,141 career total offense yards, 68 touchdowns responsible for and 62 passing touchdowns rank as the highest totals by active SEC players.
His 158.1 career passing efficiency ranking is the third-highest in SEC history.
Last season, he completed an Arkansas single-season record 266 passes on a school-record 411 attempts for 3,869 yards and 32 touchdowns with 12 interceptions.
Will the NFL scouting combine make a difference for Mallett? The interviews are expected to be of extreme importance for the former Michigan transfer.
"It's not about him throwing in shorts," Mayock said. "He's going to look great whether he throws in Indy or at Arkansas's pro day or both. He's going to throw the hell out of the football. It's more about what he does at night in the meetings and whether or not he can convince the NFL people that he understands the game. He can continue to work through his pocket awareness and get better and better."
Follow me on Twitter: RavensInsider
