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NFL Draft declaration season is upon us. Monday afternoon marked another big one with Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins entering the fray.
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is going to look much different in 2019 than the 2018 version. Aside from head coach Urban Meyer stepping aside, quarterback Dwayne Haskins will not be back in Columbus next season. In a tweet sent out Monday afternoon Haskins has decided to forgo his remaining collegiate seasons and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
Haskins name has shot up draft boards throughout the season with one spectacular performance after the next. He is a different type of quarterback than Meyer is used to coaching, opting to win more from the pocket and do little as a designed runner. That did not stop him from leading the Buckeyes to the brink of the college football playoffs. His well-rounded arm was on display throughout the season, utilizing the bevy of weapons at his disposal in the Buckeyes fast-paced and even faster scoring offense.
For NFL Draft fans, get used to Haskins name. There is a very strong chance he is the first quarterback taken in April. This is considered a weak class of quarterbacks, especially with Justin Herbert deciding to stay at Oregon. Haskins could draw interest from a handful of teams inside the top 10, including the Raiders, Giants, Jaguars and Broncos.
Unfortunately for Haskins, the teams picking in the top three all have young or franchise quarterbacks on their roster. Even in Oakland and New York there is sentiment that the incumbent front offices are looking to stick with the status quo. Jacksonville could use him the most, and Haskins would be an immediate upgrade from Blake Bortles.
Everyone in Columbus is going to miss Haskins but there is little to be sad over. Ohio State is loaded in the quarterback room heading into 2019. It was just announced that former five-star quarterback recruit Justin Fields intends to transfer to Ohio State for next season. Fields is seeking immediate eligibility through an NCAA waiver.
If he is eligible to play he will battle fellow former five-star recruit Tate Martell to be the team’s starting quarterback. Both players offer an athletic ability that Haskins did not. Haskins was able to beat out Martell in a highly contested quarterback battle throughout the spring.
Haskins left three years of eligibility on the table to declare for the NFL Draft. No one can blame him, seeing this wide-open quarterback class has to have Haskins seeing dollar signs. His declaration may significantly change the outlook atop the draft in April.