Passing on Mallett

 In the NFL in this day and age it is extremely hard to be a winning team without a good QB.  It makes you wonder what certain teams were doing passing on Ryan Mallet, one of the best natural QBs in the 2011 NFL draft.  Yes, he had character issues and 'red flags', but he also has one of the highest ceilings of anyone in the draft.  He has the prototype body for a QB, 6'6 230, arguably the strongest arm in the draft, great mechanics, played in Bobby Petrino's pro-style offense in Arkansa, and really knows his football (son of a coach).  His accuracy needs some help, but that is a lot easier to work on then a QB with a weak arm.  There is a gamble, but one certainly worth taking.  Mallett could easily be the cornerstone for any team if he plays up to his potential.  Here are the the three teams that really stood out to me for passing on Mallett.

Miami Dolphins: No matter what they say, I don't think anyone in Miami is a believer in Chad Henne.  After passing up getting Mallett in the draft they decided to go after Matt Moore in free agency.  The same Matt Moore who couldn't win the starting QB job in Carolina vs. the great Jimmy Clausen.  Instead, they chose to trade away their 3rd, 5th, and 7th round for a 2nd rounder and pick a RB (How I feel about RB).  So far through the preseason their RB, Daniel Thomas, has looked extremely average.  Thomas has avg 3.56 ypc and has gone done easy on first signs of contact through 2 preseason games.

Seattle Seahawks:  They only had one pick ahead (1st rounder) of Patriots drafting Mallett 74th, but they had the 75th pick and I am sure could of traded up at some point to get him.  After letting Hasselbeck walk (Amount of money Titans paid him can't blame Seattle) they turned to Tavaris Jackson.  Jackson has been mediocre at best his whole career and has never shown signs of having potential to be better.  His career QB rating is 76.6, completion% 58.7, and yards per pass attempt is 6.61.  To put it simply, you are not winning anything with him as your QB. 

Washington Redskins:  There is a QB battle going on right now in Washington.  Sexy Rexy vs. John Beck.  Beck is 30 years old and has played in a combined 5 games in his NFL career.  All in 2007.  Sexy Rexy is.. Sexy Rexy.  Do I really need to say more?

On the bright side for these teams, they can probably trade a 2nd rounder, their best CB, and hand out a huge contract for Mallett in a couple years.