Dwayne Haskins the prospect
This time a year ago, most of the football world was coalescing around the idea that Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray was the top quarterback prospect in the draft. But there were certainly other passers generating buzz. Daniel Jones parlayed a strong Senior Bowl game into an early selection by the New York Giants, and Drew Lock had a similarily strong week down in Mobile a year ago which led to an early round selection of him by the Denver Broncos.
Then there was Haskins, who got a chance to step into a well-constructed Ohio State offense and flourished. In his only year as a starter, Haskins put up impressive numbers, completing 70% of his passes for 4,831 yards and a whopping 50 touchdowns, against just eight interceptions. He also posted an impressive 9.1 Yards per Attempt (Y/A) and an even more impressive 10.3 Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A).
On film there was also evidence that, despite some mechanical flaws and a lack of elite athleticism, Haskins grasped what it meant to run a modern NFL offense. Haskins (and to a certain extent Murray) showed the ability to work through reads in the pocket, rule options in or out pre-snap, and make the right decisions with the football.
Take, for example, this throw against Purdue University. On this snap Haskins showed the ability to hang in the pocket and make a strong anticipation throw with the pressure building around him. Purdue blitzes a linebacker and also generates some pressure off the edge. But the QB is not rattled by the pressure and throws a comeback route to the left (after opening to the middle of the field with his eyes) and throws that route on time, in rhythm, and with some anticipation:
Anticipation throws are a great window into the mind and the processing speed of a quarterback. You often hear the term “see it, throw it” applied to a quarterback. If the quarterback waits to see a route come open, it is too late, especially against NFL defensive backs. Any time the notion of anticipation from the QB spot comes up I am reminded of a game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers a few seasons ago. Ben Roethlisberger was injured and Landry Jones was starting in his place. Phil Simms and Jim Nantz relayed a story from Antonio Brown that actually provided great insight into this concept. As Brown told Simms and Nantz, he told Jones in practice that if “I see you throw the football, it is too late.”
Anticipation throws towards the boundary are one thing, but anticipation throws challenging the middle of the field are another level when it comes to evaluating quarterback prospects. On this throw, also against Purdue, Haskins throws a crossing route working against zone coverage, and throws his receiver open into a hole behind the linebackers and in front of the safeties:
That is advanced processing from a QB prospect.
Haskins also showed the ability to run “NFL concepts” at a high level. Take this throw against Indiana University. This play comes right out of a West Coast playbook. The slot receiver comes in motion and runs the shallow crossing route, and with a defender trailing the receiver during the motion, Haskins knows pre-snap that the Hoosiers are in man coverage. From the opposite side the tight end runs the sit route over the middle and starts to work back to the left, but by then Haskins has pulled the trigger on the crosser;
Also important here for Haskins and his overall evaluation is that he gets blitzed but is able to step up in the pocket and deliver in the face of edge pressure.
If I could boil Haskins the prospect, down into one play it would be this snap against Purdue. For context, this play comes late in the contest with the Buckeyes trailing by 22. As you can see, Haskins is active at the line of scrimmage pre-snap as he anticipates a blitz. He adjusts the protection and slides the tight end into a wing alignment to help in pass protection. The blitz does not come, so the quarterback needs to recalibarate his pre-snap expectations, but he still throws a rope on a skinny post route for a touchdown:
Now Haskins was not without his flaws. There were opportunities, particularly in the downfield passing game, that he missed on due to some mechanical flaws. His upper body and lower body would often not be in synch as he worked through the throwing motion.
In addition, Haskins is more of your prototypical “pocket passer.” I described him last year as more of a “battleship,” who would need to rely on subtle movements in the pocket rather than pure athleticism to avoid pressure.
Speaking of pressure, there were also times when his mechanics and accuracy would break down in the face of heat in the pocket, and if you comb through his game against Penn State – a game in which he led a comeback late – you would see his struggles in this area.
But all told, I was rather high on Haskins the prospect, especially from a mental perspective. But life in college does not always mirror life in the NFL.