FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. (AP) - Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett has tried to distance himself from the rumors of possible drug use that have followed him lately.
He attempted Tuesday to also put some distance between himself and the other quarterbacks vying to be first round picks in April’s NFL draft.
Mallett said at Arkansas’ pro day that he didn’t feel ambushed by the questions he received at the NFL combine in Indianapolis about the drug use rumors. He added that he doesn’t regret any of the answers he gave.
Mallett said he’s dealt with the same scrutiny since his days as a star high school quarterback in Texarkana, Texas. At the combine, he said simply that teams know what they need to know about him.
“I answered the same questions about four times, so I don’t know what else you want me to say,” Mallett said.
Mallett didn’t elaborate on the answers he gave NFL teams, stating only that he has remained consistent with his answers.
“If you ask me six (times), I’m going to answer the same question six times the same way,” Mallett said.
Representatives from every NFL team were in attendance to get another look at the 6-foot-6, 238-pound Mallett, who was the SEC’s leading passer in 2010.
Mallett ran the 40-yard dash in 5.37 seconds. He pulled up almost immediately after taking off on his first attempt down the indoor track, stating afterward that he got off to a bad start. He decided against running the sprint a third time.
“I’m not Mike Vick, everybody knows that,” Mallett said.
Mallett posted a vertical jump of 26 inches and a broad jump of 8 feet, 7.25 inches. He showed his strong arm while throwing passes to several of his former Arkansas wide receivers and tight ends, including a few deep throws that were on target.
“I thought I had a pretty good workout. It was good to get back and throw with some guys I hadn’t thrown with in a while,” Mallett said. “They looked really good, so they went out there and made me look good and let it fly a little bit.”
Mallett opted to skip his senior season to enter the draft. Last season, he threw for 3,869 yards and 32 touchdowns in guiding the Razorbacks to their first BCS game, a 31-26 loss to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.
Asked if the scrutiny about his personal life has bothered him, Mallett responded: “It means I’m doing something right.”
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