Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Update: Dwayne Haskins, QB WAS

Name: Dwayne Haskins

Position: Quarterback

Pro Team: Washington Redskins

College Team: Ohio State Buckeyes

Draft Status: Round one, 15th overall

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XBpWZTtl30

COMBINE REVIEW

• Height: 6’3”
• Weight: 231 pounds
• Arms: 33 ½”
• Hands: 9 ⅝ ”
• 40-Yard Dash: 5.04 seconds
• Vertical Jump: 28 ½”

STRENGTHS

• NFL size and has learned the nuances of position from an early age
• Beautiful throwing motion and quick release
• Good form in the pocket, aware of movement around him
• Slides in the pocket to clean spots, keeps eyes downfield
• Senses pressure and will take a hit as throwing if needed
• Good touch and trajectory to all levels of the field
• Confident – takes chances when needed but not wild chances
• Works well in clutch situations, shows the ability to finish games
• Deep ball is accurate and only where the receiver could get it
• Throws well from unusual angles if under duress

WEAKNESSES

• Only one full year as the starter in college
• Feet are heavy in pocket, can not elude pressure and run if needed
• Hasn’t faced much adversity in games, not battle tested enough
• Doesn’t read defenses entirely, particularly dropping LBs and DLs
• Locks on primary target at times – doesn’t move eyes to bait DBs
• Follow-through on throws leaves him exposed to big hits to core
• Fumbles on snap occasionally – need to work on it in the NFL
• Has to anticipate on throws to the middle of the field better

OPPORTUNITIES

Dwayne Haskins was mentored by former NFL cornerback Shawn Springs and after being named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015, he committed to Ohio State as a four-star recruit and one of the top five pro-style quarterbacks in the class. He redshirted in 2016 and played sparingly in 2017, finally earning his chance to play in 2018. Haskins responded with 4,831 passing yards, 50 touchdown passes, only 8 interceptions and finished third in the Heisman voting. Ohio State won the Big Ten but narrowly missed the college football championship series before Haskins opted to enter the NFL draft.

The draft process did not highlight Haskins as he ran the slowest 40-yard dash of all the quarterbacks who tested, though he did look good in the workouts. Ultimately the third QB selected in the first round of the NFL draft, he landed with the quarterback-needy Washington Redskins in a crowded situation.

The Redskins still have three quarterbacks other than Haskins under contract, all of whom have NFL starting experience. Alex Smith is out due to a gruesome injury; there are doubts he will ever play again. Currently, the listed starter is Colt McCoy, but the team traded for Case Keenum before the draft and Keenum will likely be the starter entering the season. The team has nearly $30 million tied up in the salary cap for rostered quarterbacks currently, although that could change before the start of the season.

THREATS

While there is money tied up in quarterbacks with NFL experience, the biggest threat to Haskins’ role is the player who may not play again. McCoy is a serviceable backup who has had a few good games in his career and has solid knowledge of Jay Gruden’s system. Keenum was brought in and will likely take the starting job in 2019, but has been better when not heavily relied on and is also better as a backup. Prior to his injury, Smith was slated to be the quarterback providing stability and leading the Redskins back to the playoffs and more.

All three of these quarterbacks have shown the ability to lead teams, though Smith has been the only one to do it consistently. Haskins provides the most upside and will get the opportunity to be the Redskins quarterback of the future. He will get a chance to learn from some older quarterbacks who have seen many defenses over the years and many different offensive systems as well. Haskins has the talent and a big arm. He needs time to learn and this is the perfect locker room for him as long as they don’t try to rush him on the field.

SHORT-TERM EXPECTATIONS

Haskins should not see the field in 2019 on a regular basis. The Redskins would be wise to let him sit and learn the system. The offense will be in good hands with Keenum or McCoy, as well as slowly integrating last year’s rookie running back Derrius Guice. The offense will be better in the long run by letting Haskins work his way in, but there may be pressure to start him earlier if the offense sputters. I could see a similar path to starting like Baker Mayfield had in 2018.

LONG-TERM EXPECTATIONS

The talent is there and Haskins has a lot of the intangibles to be a successful NFL quarterback. He has great size, a good arm, enough mobility to move around in the pocket, and is intelligent with the desire to learn more. Starting him as a rookie would hinder his long term success in my opinion but the coaching staff may be ready to roll him out sooner rather than later.

Haskins will be a solid NFL quarterback. His lack of overall mobility might be problematic, but it hasn’t been an issue for him thus far. It will make surrounding him with a good offensive line more critical. He will likely have ups and downs, and although his ceiling isn’t what we have seen from the Mayfields, Kyler Murrays, or Patrick Mahomes, all the tools are there for him to grow into a lower-end QB1 or upper-end QB2 for many years. He won’t throw for 5,000 yards or 40 touchdowns, but he is a long way from Blake Bortles numbers as well.

NFL PLAYER COMPARISON

I read a Tom Brady comparison, and several which compared Haskins to Alex Smith. I really don’t like either of those. The closest I could think of was Teddy Bridgewater – I believe Haskins to have a better arm but the comparisons are many beyond as well. Both quarterbacks don’t scramble and both players are cerebral, intelligent players who make good decisions. Haskins completed over 70 percent of his passes this past season. Both young signal-callers are accurate players who don’t make many wasted throws. Haskins has a slightly brighter upside and a better overall arm but the comparison to Bridgewater is a solid one.

PROJECTED ROOKIE DRAFT RANGE

According to our Rookie ADP, Haskins is currently 22.70 on average in the May rookie mock ADP. He is currently the second quarterback drafted on average during rookie drafts. In superflex rookie draft ADP, Haskins is going 7.67 on average thus far in May ADP.

The third round is the earliest Haskins should be taken in non-superflex formats, and late in the first round is the spot for superflex rookie drafts. He will be a starting quarterback in 2020 at the latest and will likely work his way toward being a top-15 quarterback annually.