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Washington Football Team: Dwayne Haskins and the fallacy of elite college productivity

By Jonathan Eig

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Football Team looks on prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Football Team looks on prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Jan 1, 2019; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Parris Campbell (21) celebrates making a touchdown catch with quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) in the first quarter against the Washington Huskies in the 2019 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2019; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Parris Campbell (21) celebrates making a touchdown catch with quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) in the first quarter against the Washington Huskies in the 2019 Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State

During Dwayne Haskins’ magical 2018 season at Ohio State – a season in which he completed 70 percent of his passes, threw 50 touchdowns against just 8 interceptions, and posted an outstanding 9.1 yards per attempt – he had the following teammates:

In the backfield, he had JK Dobbins and Mike Weber. His three starting wide receivers were Parris Campbell, Austin Mack, and Terry McLaurin. K.J. Hill was the primary backup. Guess what they have in common? All of them are currently on an NFL roster.

They are not all-stars. Weber is up and down between the practice squad and the Packers’ active roster. Hill is mostly riding the bench for the Chargers. On the other hand, Dobbins and McLaurin are emerging superstars. But the point is that all are professional-caliber players. That’s six skill position guys surrounding Haskins during his 2018 season.

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And even more importantly, his entire starting offensive line was professional-caliber as well. Only one, Bengals guard Michael Jordan, is currently starting in the NFL. Another, Demetrius Knox was waived by Seattle after sustaining a serious knee injury during his rookie year. Two of them, Malcolm Pridgeon and Isaiah Prince are opting out of the current season due to COVID concerns.

The fifth starter, tackle Thayer Munford, is still in school. I have seen him projected to be selected somewhere between the second and fourth rounds of the 2021 draft.

That offensive line had enough talent so that when Knox was injured toward the end of the 2018 season, he was replaced by (at the time) freshman Wyatt Davis. Davis is currently projected by many scouts to be the top guard chosen in the 2021 draft.

So in addition to the six professional-caliber skill players surrounding Haskins, he also had six professional-caliber lineman keeping him clean in the pocket.

When a college quarterback is surrounded by a roster of NFL talent, it obviously helps him look his best. Whether those teammates mask flaws in technique and decision-making is the biggest question scouts need to assess.

In Haskins’ case, he was playing against quality opponents in the Big 10, but in weekly match-ups against the likes of Minnesota and Purdue, he may have been facing two or three future professional defenders.

When such a QB makes it to the NFL, he is playing against 11 pros week after week after week.

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