More damning rumors are surfacing about quarterback prospect Ryan Mallett’s character and off-field issues. According to Tony Softli of ESPN 101 St. Louis, Mallett did not declare for the 2010 NFL draft due to a possible drug addiction.

Character and drug use issues are starting to rear their ugly head. Heavy rumors of drug use and possible addiction kept him from coming out for the 2010 draft. A lot of people are comparing Mallett to Ryan Leaf. I think Ryan was a better football player, with a cannon for an arm but the immaturity was just too much to overcome. A hair facial test might tell all 32 teams who this person really is.

These next six days are vital for Mallett as he gears up for the scouting combine. He has the most red flags of any quarterback prospect in the draft, which includes Cam Newton. He’ll be administered a drug test to see if he’s used recently and if he has, his stock will certainly plummet as we inch closer to the draft.

Hopefully these are just nasty rumors, but there have been several reports to come out in the last couple of days that don’t paint Mallett in good light. In fact, just yesterday Wes Bunting of the National Football Post wrote that a scout “doesn’t trust the guy as a person off the field” because of the dirt he had on Mallett. Is that “dirt” the same information that Softli just released about the drug addiction?

Of course, if the kid can play then nobody will remember or care about these reports three years from now. But for the time being, they certainly aren’t helping him improve his draft stock. Again, hopefully these are just nasty rumors.