It's been awhile since we checked in on Ryan Mallett...what's our favorite 6'7" gunslinging ex-Razorback QB been up to these days?
Well, like a lot of former college students he's testing the job market and finding things to be a little tricky these days. Of course, most young adults looking for a job aren't in the running for a multi-multi-million dollar contract (unless they're going into the sports blogging game, that is), but most prospective employees don't have to deal with a nationwide whisper campaign painting them as selfish, stupid drug-addicts, either.
Over the last few weeks Mallett has been meeting with teams and trying to convince them that he's worth their massive investment. How that's going is anyone's guess - the consensus is that he's a first round talent who will go in the second round at the earliest (because of the aforementioned "character issues"), but he could still sneak into the first or slip way, way down into the depths. Kind of a crapshoot.
Here are two of my favorite recent articles about Mallett (both coincidentally involving the Miami Dolphins):
* If you need a character reference and/or PR agent, you could do a lot worse than D.J. Williams...here's why.
* This article by SunSentinel.com's Dave Hyde is hands-down the best Ryan Mallett draft analysis I've read...nothing else even comes close. For one, it's an exhaustively researched look at pretty much his entire life that debunks most of the rumors currently being spread about him being selfish, a poor leader, etc. More than that, though, once you scroll down (a lot...it's a loooong article) there are several meticulously edited YouTube clips showing Mallett in various situations - throwing the long ball, working as a pocket passer, dealing with pressure, etc. They're super fun to watch, so definitely browse through the whole thing if you have a few minutes. Here's one of those highlight packages to give you a taste: