New England Patriots still getting offers for Ryan Mallett

The New England Patriots could still trade Ryan Mallett this offseason, and Mallett’s name could be called in a different way on draft day. According to three sources close to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, “multiple teams” have called the New England Patriots to try and get a deal done for Ryan Mallett. One of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL right now, Mallett’s trade value  has risen due to the lack of sure-fire options at the quarterback position in the 2013 NFL Draft.

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Mallett was a star for the Arkansas Razorbacks in college, but he saw his draft stock plummet and was scooped up by the New England Patriots. It looks like he was a good selection for the Pats, and the organization is clearly high on what Mallett can bring to the table. The fact that they invested a third-round pick and plenty of time on Mallett means that they will hang up on any subpar offers. Although Mallett isn’t on the trade block, the Patriots are willing to deal him in order to do what is best for their team.

If a team doesn’t offer the Patriots at least a second-round choice, then I fully expect the Patriots to say “no thanks”. Ryan Mallett has received rave reviews from Brian Daboll, and the Patriots are going to look to get full value for their backup signal-caller. The Cleveland Browns have longed been viewed as the most likely candidate to land Mallett, especially since new GM Michael Lombardi loves Mallett. However, they would need to do some creative work in order to nab Mallett, as they do not have a second-round selection in this year’s draft.

Bedard writes that the Patriots have heavily scouted the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, and they “could very well” nab a QB this year. History tells us that the Patriots like to draft a quarterback as insurance in the draft, and they would most likely bring in another young signal-caller if they do decide to deal Mallett.

It is important to note that all three sources close to Bedard state that “odds are slightly stronger” that Ryan Mallett ends up being traded. So yeah, we could end up seeing Mallett out of New England, which would almost certainly mean that the Patriots are getting nice draft assets in return.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.