Mallett falls to Patriots at 74th pick
The second round of the NFL draft Friday at Radio City Music Hall bore a striking resemblance to the first round, with the top available quarterbacks coming off the board early. But five years down the road, history might record how smart Cincinnati and San Francisco were to get value by waiting until the second round to choose such well-regarded prospects as TCU's Andy Dalton and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick.
The real intrigue revolved around the character questions that apparently caused several other teams with a quarterback opening to pass on Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, who fit the NFL prototype in terms of his 6-7 size and phenomenal arm strength. If anyone could afford to gamble on Mallett, it was New England coach Bill Belichick, who had the extra picks to select him in the third round with the 74th overall pick and the luxury of grooming him behind Tom Brady.
Mallett once pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication, and he refused to answer repeated questions from reporters at the NFL scouting combine about rumors of drug use. That didn't prevent Belichick from taking a chance on his talent.
The Giants also took a bit of a chance in the second round, selecting North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who sat out last season after being suspended for accepting improper gifts from an agent, and took Troy wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan in the third round. The Jets had no second-rounder, but took defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis of Hampton with the 94th pick near the end of the third round.
Three picks into the second round, the Bengals selected Dalton, a four-year starter who led TCU to a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. Dalton could be the immediate replacement for veteran Carson Palmer, who has asked for a trade.
"For what I envision, Andy is the best fit," new Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said. "He's plenty big and strong enough. I've seen him make every throw. Every time he throws the ball, the right guy catches it."
San Francisco reportedly tried trading up to the first round for Dalton, but the 49ers settled for a deal with Denver for the 36th pick right behind Cincinnati and tabbed Kaepernick. The 6-5 QB worked out for new 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback.
"He was one coach that was very hands-on," Kaepernick said. "He was very energetic with everything that he was doing. He's the type of coach that gets you excited to play the game."
One other player who took a long fall was Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers. He was regarded as a top-10 talent, but a serious knee problem caused him to drop to Tampa Bay with the 51st overall pick.
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