Washington Football Team: Where Dwayne Haskins ranks among franchise’s biggest busts

Other first-round picks and my top-five busts since ’60

Since the McDonald selection, Washington has picked 31 football players in the 1st round of the NFL draft. There were golden runs (Monk, May, and Green within four years in the early ‘80s), and there were long stretches during which trades had stripped away all of Washington’s 1st-round choices. There was the Arrington/Samuels double. There was at least one good choice lost to a bad trade (Bailey) and another lost to a tragedy (Taylor).

The last decade has been rather productive, with Trent Williams, Ryan Kerrigan, Brendan Scherff, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Chase Young all arriving with first-round pedigree.

But for the most part, there has been an awful lot of mediocrity. Players like Bobby Wilson or Tom Carter, who should have been defensive mainstays but ended up providing four or five OK years. There was the run of indifferent receivers – Westbrook, Gardner, Doctson – none of whom made anyone forget the Fun Bunch.

I think you could argue that Docston and fellow receiver Desmond Howard were worse than Haskins. You could also make the case that would-be franchise QB Heath Shuler rates lower as a draft pick. In the case of Howard and Shuler, their lofty draft position – both were taken in the top five – may make them worse picks.

But none of these players embarrassed the franchise the way Haskins has. None needed to be excised from the roster during the season. You can rate that fact however you like when making your own personal list, but mine would go as follows:

1. Andre Johnson
2. Ray McDonald
3. Dwayne Haskins
4. Heath Shuler
5. Desmond Howard

Dwayne Haskins may yet salvage a respectable NFL career. He is young and he has a good arm. But in Washington lore, whether you put him at No. 1 or No. 5, he will go down as one of the worst first-round draft picks in franchise history.