Following back-to-back years of drafting defensive linemen in the first round, the Washington Redskins switched over to the offensive side of the ball for their first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
With the 15th-overall selection, the Redskins drafted quarterback Dwayne Haskins out of Ohio State. Haskins will be the fourth healthy signal-caller on the roster -- joining veterans Colt McCoy and Case Keenum and newly-signed Josh Woodrum -- and will be expected to compete for the starting job during training camp this summer.
Haskins, a local product who attended Bullis School in Potomac, Md., dominated in his lone season as Ohio State's starting quarterback in 2018. His 4,831 passing yards and 50 touchdowns were not only Ohio State single-season records but also Big Ten records, and both statistics were significant in Haskins finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Oklahoma's Kyler Murray and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa.
With Haskins leading the way, the Buckeyes lost just once en route to winning the Big Ten championship and the Rose Bowl Game.
Speaking at the NFL Combine, Haskins told reporters that declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft was an easy decision for him and one he planned to make even before last season. He knew that he had the necessary talent to make the NFL. He just needed an opportunity to showcase his abilities, and he earned that chance after redshirting as a freshman and then sitting behind former Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett in 2017.
According to NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein, Haskins is "big and talented with explosive arm talent but limited mobility. Haskins is a chance-taker with the arm strength to get away with some tight window throws that most in this class can't make."
With Haskins' selection, the Redskins have now drafted four quarterbacks in the first round since 2000 -- a group that also includes Patrick Ramsey (2002), Jason Campbell (2005) and Robert Griffin III (2012). Meanwhile, Haskins was the third quarterback taken in the this year's draft behind Oklahoma's Kyler Murray, who went first overall to the Arizona Cardinals, and Duke's Daniel Jones, who went sixth to the New York Giants.
