Dwayne Haskins won’t attend the 2019 NFL Draft later this week in Nashville, but the Ohio State quarterback insists he’s tuning out any projections that his stock might be slipping on various draft boards.
“It’s been crazy … but it’s what I asked for,” Haskins told USA Today Sports about the draft process. “No adversity will ever break me.
“When you play quarterback, you have to have tough skin. The biggest thing I’ve learned — I knew it before this process — is that there are a lot of outside distractions. You just have to keep your focus.”
Haskins started just one year for the Buckeyes, throwing for an NCAA-leading 4,831 yards and 50 TDs. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray is expected to be the first overall pick by Arizona, while two other signal callers — Missouri’s Drew Lock and Duke’s Daniel Jones – also reportedly have graded higher than the 6-foot-3 Haskins on various draft boards.
“I’m not nervous at all,” said Haskins, who will host a draft party at a bowling alley in the Washington area on Thursday. “Whenever I’m drafted or wherever I go, I know God’s plan is bigger than I can imagine. I’m here on this Earth to leave a legacy, whether I’m drafted first, second, third or 42nd.”
Haskins added that he met with 13 teams at the league’s scouting combine. The Giants, armed with the sixth and 17th overall selections, were among at least three teams — with Washington and Denver — to bring in the 21-year-old quarterback for a “top 30” visit following his pro day workout. He also met with Eli Manning for lunch during his Giants visit, according to NFL Network.
“I feel like I definitely did my part with the meetings with (GM Dave) Gettleman, (coach Pat) Shurmur and (offensive coordinator Mike ) Shula,” Haskins said of the Giants during an interview with WFAN on Monday. “I did my best to show that I can handle the stuff that comes with being a New York Giants quarterback.”
Oakland (fourth overall pick) and Miami (13th) also attended Haskins’ workouts at Ohio State.
“The draft is something crazy,” Haskins told USA Today. “My agent told me some people have been drafted by teams that they didn’t even visit with. So, you never really know.”