The New York Giants may or may not have their eyes on Dwayne Haskins Jr. as a prospect in 2019’s NFL Draft, but don’t count on Haskins being one of the available picks. The Ohio State quarterback isn’t graduating just yet and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be one of the players to leave school early to head to the NFL. In a way, it makes sense. Who would want to leave college after leading a team to the Rose Bowl and playing just about every game on national TV?
“Extremely hard,” replied Haskins, when asked by reporters about how hard it would be to walk away from Ohio State. “It’s been a dream of mine to play here for a long time and it’s been a blessing to be a part of this team, part of this university, part of my teammates and that will be a hard decision to make. But I’m just decided to finish off the season strong.”
Leaving now for the draft also wouldn’t make Haskins one of the first players off the board. Haskins has a lack of experience at this point and has only played one season as the starter, after backing up J.T. Barrett last year and not finding much playing time. Justin Herbert and Will Grier are ranked higher in most mock drafts, so Haskins would potentially make more money by waiting until next year’s draft and getting selected higher than where he would this year.
“Right now I’m focused on Washington, of course. The NFL talk is there and everybody hears it. That’s just a blessing to be a part of and it’s been a dream come true. But as far as making a decision, I haven’t made one yet. I’ve still got a lot of time left here at Ohio State and I’m just taking it day by day, make a decision after the bowl game,” Haskins said when asked about the NFL and his decision to either stay or go.
If Haskins does stay in college, it doesn’t spell great things for the New York Giants during the Draft next year. Haskins was a quarterback who looked great during the second half of this season and who would likely be around by the time the Giants pick. If Haskins does decide to stay at Ohio State, it could just leave the Giants without a viable option in the first round unless they decide to trade up and give up something to move into the top 10.
It could also be a good thing, however. Haskins does, after all, only have one year of experience as a starter. It might be better for the Giants to take a player that has a more proven track record, anyway.