2019 NFL Draft: Dwayne Haskins deserves No. 1 pick consideration

Kyler Murray looks to be a lock for the number one pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. We are here to ask why isn’t Dwayne Haskins getting the same kind of love?

For months, the top of the 2019 NFL Draft had familiar faces on the defensive side of the ball. Nick Bosa and Ed Oliver were locks to go number one and number two, but with the injuries to both players, and new changes in Arizona, things may be taking a different turn.

It looks like Arizona will select a quarterback with the number one pick, essentially wasting their number 10 pick in Josh Rosen last year. However, instead of everyone’s clear-cut top quarterback in the draft in Dwayne Haskins, the Cardinals are expected to tap Kyler Murray to turn the franchise around.

Passing up on Haskins will be a huge mistake for the Cardinals. Haskins should be the pick. Here’s why:

Strengths

Haskins has great accuracy on his short to intermediate throws. He has the ability to zip the ball into a tight window and can also put touch on his throws when needed. He averaged 9.1 yards per attempt last season and can chuck the ball downfield. He also has improved on his deep ball passing which he showed off at the NFL combine.

Another excellent strength is his ability to diagnose plays and make adjustments at halftime. If you looked at a few of the Buckeyes games this season Ohio State’s offense got off to a slow start, but Haskins and the coaching staff were able to make adjustments to put up big numbers and secure wins.

You also have to include his mental make up as a strength. He doesn’t seem to let anything phase him and after JT Barrett got hurt last season he was able to go into Ann Arbor and help the Buckeyes pick up the big win against the Michigan Wolverines.

He had arguably his best game of the season against the Wolverines again this past season, as the Buckeyes cruised past the number one total defense in the country and smacked them for 62 points (an all-time high).

After having one of the most prolific passing seasons in Big Ten history Haskins finished third in the Heisman voting and it was clear to NFL evaluators he was a lock to be a first-round pick.

Weaknesses

Haskins isn’t the best runner, as he ran for just 108 yards for the Buckeyes this season to go along with four touchdowns. Three of those were in an overtime win against Maryland and although he put up decent numbers rushing that game, you could clearly see that his athleticism wasn’t what we were used to seeing out of Urban Myer’s offense at Ohio State.

Draft projection: No. 3 to No. 6

Once Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert decided to come back for another season with the Ducks, Haskins became the huge favorite to be the first quarterback selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. That was before Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray officially entered the NFL draft pool and left the Oakland A’s for a chance to be the face of a football franchise.

Murray is more than likely going to be the number one overall pick and that will make teams nervous about how soon they can wait for Haskins to fall to them. He stays in the three to six range because either the Giants will trade up to number three to select him, or the Raiders will pick him at number four to pair him with newly acquired wide receiver Antonio Brown.

If Haskins falls past the Giants it will be a major draft surprise, but I really don’t see it happening. Haskins will be a top-six pick and should find a spot where he can develop into a potential Pro-bowl level quarterback.