When it comes to the NFL Draft, one of the most intriguing prospects expected to be selected in the first round on Thursday is former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, and the reason there’s so much intrigue surrounding him is because no one seems to have any idea where Haskins might end up.
Although there is some belief that Giants could end up selecting him with the sixth overall pick, there have also been multiple reports that Haskins’ stock has slipped over the past few weeks, which could potentially cause him to drop out of the top 10.
Of course, no one actually knows for sure if his stock is slipping, and that’s because the run up to the NFL Draft is the height of smokescreen season, where NFL teams say one thing and mean another. Since teams aren’t usually very truthful with the media around draft time, it’s hard to gauge who’s actually interested in any certain player.
In Haskins’ situation, it seems that there are at least five teams that are all highly interested in the quarterback, and we know that because he revealed that information this week.
“The Raiders, the Redskins, Broncos, Dolphins, and the Giants,” Haskins told Pro Football Talk on Monday. “Those are the teams who have shown the most interest in me.”
Of those five teams, the biggest “wow” name on the list is probably the Raiders. Although they already have a quarterback in Derek Carr, there’s been some speculation that the Raiders are planning a “surprise” with the fourth overall pick and it would definitely be surprising if they selected Haskins. Of course, no one actually has any idea what they’re going to do and that’s because Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have decided to kick everyone out of the building so that the team’s picks don’t get leaked to the media.
Besides the Raiders, if Haskins ends up with any of the other four teams he mentioned, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all and that’s because they all need a quarterback. If Haskins could pick his own team, he’d probably go with the Giants or Redskins, as he has ties to both teams. The former Ohio State star grew up rooting for the Giants and he went to school in the DC area with the son of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
If Haskins ends up in New York, he’d likely spend his rookie season on the bench behind Eli Manning, which is something that wouldn’t bother him.
“Whatever team I go to I just have to be ready to play whether that’s year one or year two and I don’t have a preference whether that’s to play right away or play year two or year three,” Haskins said. “I just want to be the best quarterback I can be for that franchise. Patrick Mahomes definitely did a great job learning [behind Alex Smith]. I learned from J.T. [Barrett] my first year at Ohio State, so it isn’t foreign nature for me, so I’ll be comfortable with either/or.”
If you’re wondering where Haskins might end up, make sure to check out our mock draft page here at CBSSports.com by clicking here. Our six writers have Haskins going anywhere from the third overall pick to the 15th overall pick.
