One of the biggest concerns for NFL owners and GM’s these days are players who have off-field issues coming into the draft.
Mallett played at Michigan before he transferred to the university of Arkansas.
One of those players this year is Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett has been accused of alleged drug use in the past and has been asked about it during the entire draft process. During a press conference at the NFL Combine, reporters asked him about it and this was one of his responses.
“First one, huh? Nah, I’m not going to talk about that right now. I’ve got interviews with the teams, and the teams need to know what they need to know, and I’m going to leave it at that.”
Well, according profootballweekly.com, an unnamed GM said that Mallett was a bit more truthful in his team interview.
One GM said Mallett was the first quarterback ever to admit his drug usage to him in interviews, and his willingness to be honest about his past and acknowledge issues is viewed as a positive. Concerns about his history of use could impact his draft position, though. Although Mallett did not produce an official positive test at Arkansas, he has been arrested for public intoxication and carries a reputation as a “big party guy,” per sources who have interviewed him. How much teams believe he has matured will weigh into his draft status. “I would not take him at any point,” one executive not in need of a quarterback said. He still figures to be drafted in the second round.
What type of drugs Mallet got into is still unknown, but we do know now that he has admitted to drug usage in his past. Some teams may still be wary of drafting Mallett and some teams may leave him off of their board entirely, but there are teams out there that will look past his history and draft Mallett. Depending on how the draft goes, Mallett could easily be drafted in the first round.