Dwayne Haskins

With every draft class, I always start with quarterbacks. It is the most discussed position for good reason, as it is by far the most important. For any team in need of a QB in this draft, well you’re out of luck, because I do not have one QB with a round 1 grade. The consensus by most media draft analysts is that Dwayne Haskins, QB out of Ohio State, is a cut above the rest. But after watching hours of tape on this guy, I have come to the conclusion that it would be foolish for the Giants, Jaguars, or any team in need of a QB to take this guy, as I don’t see the hype for him at all. Actually, that is incorrect. I do see why so many people like him. When you look at his strengths, it pretty clear that he has a lot of desirable tools for a franchise QB. He has ideal size, a very good arm, he is smart with the football, and excels in the short to intermediate portion of the field, where he can be very accurate. He has a very clean throwing motion. He looks the part. However, when you look closer, you see a flawed prospect with many question marks. My main issue with him is his aggressiveness. Yes, he has a nice arm. But too often on tape, he checks down to a seven yard drag route instead of pushing the ball down the field. I can count on my fingers how my times this guy took shots down the field. It is why his deep field accuracy is horrible. When he decides to throws the ball down the field, he misses badly unless the guy is wide open, outside of a great throw he made against TCU. It is very frustrating to watch this guy, because he is almost too careful with the ball. Not only does he lack aggression, but he panics under pressure. He has a good feel for how to move within the pocket, however he doesn’t sense pressure well, and when faced with pressure, his footwork and field vision go down the toilet. He consistently throws off his back foot, which would be a disaster at the next level. All of this makes it hard for me to get a grasp of him as a prospect. He has a lot of the tools to become a very good QB, but my gut is screaming at me bust, a guy who will be a fine starter, but lacks the alpha in him to live up to his potential. Any team who takes him and expects to plug him into their lineup will be disappointed by the result.

 

Strengths

Short/Mid accuracy

Arm strength

Good decision maker

Reads defenses well

can go through progressions when given time

Potential

Size

Anticipation throws

Upper body Mechanics; Throwing Motion clean

Can move around in the pocket

 

Weakness

Aggressiveness

Pocket presence/Feeling pressure

Mobility

Checks down too often

Panics under pressure

Deep accuracy inconsistent

Placement

Footwork

Tendency to throw off back foot

Grade:83

Pro comp: Alex Smith