Former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in an apparent drowning at a Florida beach, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office.

Mallett, who had a seven-year career in the NFL, was 35.

The sheriff's office said first responders were called to a beach in Destin, Florida, around 2:12 p.m. local time, as a group of people swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near a sandbar struggled to make their way back to shore.

Mallett was not breathing when he was pulled out of the water and was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

He played for the University of Michigan for one season before transferring to Arkansas, where he passed for 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns in two seasons.

The New England Patriots selected Mallett in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft, at No. 74 overall.