Ohio State Football: It will pay Dwayne Haskins to have a strong Combine
Dwayne Haskins is the one Ohio State football player who probably can pad his bank account at the NFL Combine more than any other. Let’s take a look at how a strong performance could put plenty of money in the pocket of the Buckeye quarterback.
When Haskins announced he was leaving Ohio State to pursue an NFL career he appeared to be the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback in this year’s draft. When Kyler Murray announced he would be playing pro football instead of baseball the discussion between which of the two quarterbacks should be the first taken began heating up.
A look at recent history and you can see there could be a quite a difference in Haskins’ initial contract if he is the first QB taken or the second one.
Here is a list of the top two quarterbacks taken in the first round of each of the last 10 drafts:
- 2009 Matthew Stafford 1, Mark Sanchez 5
- 2010 Sam Bradford 1, Tim Tebow 26
- 2011 Cam Newton 1, Jake Lockler 8
- 2012 Andrew Luck 1, Robert Griffin 2
- 2013 E.J. Manuel 16, no other QB drafted in the first round
- 2014 Blake Bortles 3, Johnny Manziel 22
- 2015 Jameis Winston 1, Marcus Mariota 2
- 2016 Jared Goff 1, Carson Wentz 2
- 2017 Mitchell Trubisky 2, Patrick Mahomes 10
- 2018 Baker Mayfield 1, Sam Darnold 3
In 9 of the last 10 drafts at least one quarterback has been chosen in the top three picks. The average selection of the second one taken those years was at No. 9.
In recent years the initial contracts of draft picks have been scheduled, by agreement with the NFLPA, and this year’s salary structure will probably be something close to the one last year. Here is a look at the contracts of players chosen in the top three last year as well as the ninth pick.
- No. 1 Baker Mayfield: $32.682,980
- No. 2 Saquon Brkley: $31,194,750
- No. 3 Sam Darnold: $30,247,694
- No. 9 Mike McGlinchey: $18,341,876
I have heard it thrown around the second quarterback taken could slip to the Washington Redskins who have the 13th pick. Last year defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne was chosen at that spot and his contract was reported to be $14,418,360.
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You can see there could be quite a difference between the contracts the first and second quarterbacks chosen in the draft are likely to sign. A strong NFL Combine will certainly help Haskins become the first QB taken.
He won’t have to run a fast 40 time just a decent one. Most pocket passers rarely run that far during a game.
However, performing well in the shuttle and three cone drill will go a long way to alleviate concerns about his quickness and agility to move around in the pocket or escape from it. If he can do so at the Combine, general managers in need of a quarterback will come to watch him throw the ball around to Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon at Ohio State’s Pro Day.
When they watch him sling the football to those guys it could really move him up the draft chart.
Next. Buckeye speed will be on display at NFL Combine. dark
It’s certain Dwayne Haskins will have a nice payday soon even if he doesn’t impress scouts and general managers during the next few weeks. But if he does, it could mean several million dollars added to his bank account.