The Washington Redskins considered trading up to draft Dwayne Haskins. Instead, the team gambled that the quarterback would fall to them at No. 15.
The Ohio State product did indeed land in D.C. after several QB-needy teams passed on him. Haskins, who has a shot at earning the starting QB job with the Redskins, is motivated to make those squads pay.
"I'm more motivated than ever, there's a bigger chip on my shoulder, the league done messed up," he told ESPN in an interview after being selected by his hometown team. "I'm right down the street, so we're going to do it right this time. So it's crazy."
Coach Jay Gruden insisted the team could take it slow with a QB that had only one year of college starting experience, but it's clear Haskins has a good chance to play Week 1 -- having to beat out Case Keenum and Colt McCoy, who is returning from injury.
Haskins is a prototypical pocket passer with a very good arm, can drive the ball into tight windows and proved to be a good decision maker in big games against top-tier competition. The questions on Haskins entering Thursday night were mostly about whether he is ready to play from the jump, and how he will react to being pressured given his lack of mobility.
Most years, Haskins would have likely been a top-10 pick, but with few teams looking for signal-callers, the Redskins were able to wait and pluck their guy at No. 15.
As the wait wore, Haskins tried not to get frustrated with the process. He succeeded better at that goal at certain points than others. His reaction when the New York Giants took Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick:
The Redskins played their cards right waiting until No. 15 to stop Haskins' fall. Not only did they get their top target, but that player is now motivated to prove the rest of the NFL got it wrong.
