The 2019 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. The Game Haus will be doing scouting reports on some of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins was just a one-year starter, but impressed in a short amount of time. Since the season has ended Haskins has officially declared for the 2019 NFL Draft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMStjhDlaYE

Background

Position: Quarterback

Class: Redshirt Sophomore

2018 stats: 4,831 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 70% completion, 9.1 yards per attempt

Size: 6-foot-3, 231 pounds

Haskins had to sit and wait his turn behind J.T. Barrett, but ran with his opportunity to play this season. It is not often that a quarterback can go from backup to starter to potential top 10 pick all in the span of a season, but Haskins has done just that.

For his career, Haskins had 5,396 passing yards, 54 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 70% completion. Most of those stats were accumulated over the 2018 college football season, but Haskins did have a big moment in 2017 when he filled in for the injured Barrett against Michigan. In that game, the inexperienced Haskins was able to come in cold after sitting on the bench for most of the game and complete six of seven passes for 94 yards. His play helped the Buckeyes get the win over the Wolverines and the game would give momentum to Haskins heading into 2018. This season his play helped Ohio State to a 13-1 record and a Rose Bowl victory. He was honored as a Heisman Finalist.

With Justin Herbert’s decision to return to school, Haskins will likely be the first quarterback off the board in the 2019 NFL Draft. Teams drafting in the top 10 could get a chance to draft him, but others will have to trade up if they want Haskins on their team.

Strengths

At the snap of the ball, Haskins processes the defense well and understands how to beat coverages. He hits receivers running slants and drag routes against man coverage, while giving the receiver ample opportunity to run after the catch. Haskins can also read zone coverage well and finds receivers who find the soft spots in the zone.

His best trait is his accuracy. He completed 70% of his passes at Ohio State mostly due to his lethal short and intermediate accuracy. Haskins not only puts the ball where it needs to be for a wide receiver to catch the ball, but as mentioned earlier, gives them an opportunity to run after they catch the ball. If Haskins has to make a throw within 20-25 yards of the line of scrimmage, he is a good bet to get the job done.

Haskins is very aware of when the pocket will collapse. He’ll tuck the ball and take a sack or get rid of the ball right before getting hit to avoid a sack. While making those plays won’t show up on the stat sheet, it does help the offense not lose ground or turn the ball over. He has great poise even when the rush is coming.

Weaknesses

Defensive coordinators will want to try to move the pocket for Haskins. While he can feel the pressure, it does still bother him. When he is forced to move his feet, he becomes inaccurate and sometimes makes bad decisions. He’ll often miss open receivers when on the move and he doesn’t have the scrambling ability to be a dangerous threat on the ground, so to beat Haskins it is imperative to get him to move. He did show improvements on this in the Big Ten Championship Game.

His mechanics will also come into question. A lot of times he will throw completely with his upper body. Great quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes can get away without always having the best mechanics, but Haskins isn’t quite at that level yet. If he stands tall and keeps his upper body connected to his lower body, he will be much more accurate.

Haskins can make all the throws within 25 yards of the line of scrimmage, but is inconsistent in throwing the deep ball. Sometimes he will make the play, but other times he is all over the place. He underthrew and overthrew his fair share of deep balls. He has the necessary arm strength to make the throws, and does make a lot of them, but needs to improve the accuracy on those throws to be even more consistent.

Projected Draft Range: Top 10 Pick

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