The 2011 NFL Draft is taking place on Thursday, April 28, and the Redskins will have the No. 10 pick in the first round. Many different players have been projected to be picked in that spot in various 2011 NFL mock drafts, and the Redskins certainly have a lot of needs. Which players will be good fits for the Redskins in that spot? We will provide scouting reports and let you know who we like in this StoryStream. Next up: Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett.
Strengths: Arm. Mallett will have one of the strongest arms in the NFL as soon as he gets drafted. he can make any and every throw on the field.
Weaknesses: Mallett is not very mobile and has some trouble staying alive in the pocket and throwing on the run. He also has some trouble differentiating the speed of the throw when needed. This might sound kind of nit-picky, but Mallett has a habit of throwing underneath passes at 200 mph, which make them very hard to handle for his backs and tight ends. Lacks elite touch and accuracy. Showed some questionable decision making in some of Arkansas' biggest games, particularly against Auburn.
Redskins Fit: Even though the Redskins need a QB in the worst way, I don't think Ryan Mallett is a very good fit. Mike Shanahan needs a quarterback in his system who can move around in the pocket. That is the opposite of Ryan Mallett. He's more a Raiders quarterback than he is a Redskins one, if that makes sense.
Where He Will Be Drafted: Mallett has been plummeting down draft boards recently because of how he has handled the pre-draft process. He reportedly went out late the night before meeting with the Panthers and had to miss the meetings because he was sick. There are always teams that fall in love with QB's and could take them higher than they are projected, but I wouldn't expect Mallett to go earlier than the mid-second round at this point.