Ohio State Football: One and done for Dwayne Haskins?

Ohio State’s first year starting quarterback was always destined to play on Sundays. But could Dwayne Haskins’ performance this season lead to an early departure for the NFL?

The Dwayne Haskins hype was real.

Through 3 games, the redshirt sophomore has thrown for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns, against just 1 interception. He’s completing more than 72% of his passes.

And he’s performed brilliantly on the biggest stage, leading last year’s Buckeyes to the win over Michigan in a replacement role and carving up one of the best defenses in the country in Dallas on Saturday.

This despite never starting a game before this season.

While all of that is great news for Buckeye fans, there’s a chance it might be TOO good. As in, we might only get one season to ride the Dwayne Train.

“He’s the best pure passer that Urban Meyer’s had since Alex Smith,” NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay told ESPN’s Get Up! this morning. “He may wind up being just as good in the college game in terms of his passing skills.”

Smith, you may recall, was drafted first overall. Could Haskins look forward to a similar future in next year’s draft?

The arm talent Haskins has displayed so far this season is worthy of the pro game. His anticipation and accuracy, coupled with the arm strength to be a threat to the sidelines and on deep routes, fits perfectly in the NFL. McShay  told the Get Up! crew that “the anticipation, touch and timing he shows are well beyond his years.”

But it may be more than his skills or production that determine when he ultimately goes pro.

The 2019 quarterback class is regarded as one of the weakest in recent memory — certainly weaker than last year’s, when 5 quarterbacks were taken in the first round. The cream of the crop is Oregon’s Justin Herbert, trailed closely by Drew Lock of Missouri and a handful of also-rans like Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, Washington’s Jake Browning and West Virginia’s Will Grier.

If none of those names excite you, you’re not alone.

More from Ohio State Football

• Ohio State Football: How Denzel Burke has bounced back so far this season
• Ohio State Football rolling into form at the perfect time
• How Ohio State football has done historically versus new Big 12
• Ohio State Football: We need to see “Killer Ryan Day” at South Bend
• Ohio State Football vs. Notre Dame Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 4

Teams will always need a quarterback, whether a good one is available or not. Going pro in a down year for QB’s means less competition to be drafted in the top-tier at the position, and that will always mean a top 10-to-15 selection — even if the talent doesn’t merit the draft ranking..

Should Haskins continue to set the world on fire, there’s also something to be said for leaving on a high note. Just ask Matt Barkley, a projected number one pick who decided to stick around at USC for his senior year and cost himself millions with a sub par performance.

Haskins has opened a lot of eyes with his performance this season. Barring some epic collapse, he’s shown enough to earn a spot in the discussion of the best draft eligible quarterbacks this year.

While the expectation before the season may have been that Haskins would have at least two seasons to strut his stuff in Columbus, a weak  2019 draft class and strong momentum may force him to consider turning pro sooner than anyone thought.