With the 74th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett slid down the board much farther than most expected due to a variety of character concerns. Considering the Patriots don't exactly have a need at quarterback, this was a luxury pick. If the Patriots find something in Mallett and he gets his head on straight, they could get value out of him down the road. If not, then they wasted nothing more than a third-round pick.
As you may or may not know, Mallett started his college career at Michigan. He transferred after one year, as Rich Rodriguez became the head coach and Mallett didn't want to play in Michigan's new offense. Mallett will now join former Michigan QB Tom Brady and former Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer in New England as the signal callers on the Patriots' roster. Obviously Brady is the starter, so Mallett and Hoyer will battle to be the backup in New England.
If you would have told me going into the draft that Jonas Mouton would be the first one-time Wolverine to be picked, I would have said you're crazy. As it turns out, though, Mouton was taken ahead of Mallett. I guess this just shows why you never doubt the possible craziness of the NFL Draft.
SB Nation has full coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft at its NFL Draft hub and NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the Detroit Lions, make sure to check out Pride Of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream.