I'm stunned but fascinated.
A player so personally troubled that the Bengals passed on him seems, on the face of it, an anti-Patriot pick. But...the Bengals really couldn't take him, could they? Or the 49ers, or the Titans, or anybody else who needed a quarterback.
Mallett had to go to a team that DIDN'T need a QB. This way he doesn't have to be a leader, at least not right away. He knows he's disposable. The team has the chance to benefit from his tremendous potential, but can cut its losses immediately if he can't get it together.
With the Patriots he starts out as the #3 QB. He'll have to work and learn in a no-nonsense atmosphere with strong role models and strong coaching. When you think about it, where else?