Ohio State Football: Haskins or Murray as top QB in draft?

The former quarterback of the Ohio State football team, Dwayne Haskins, is one of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. But is he the No. 1 option at QB?

Former Ohio State Quarterback Dwayne Haskins was far and away considered the top player available at his position in this year’s depleted class until Kyler Murray declared and sparked some debate.

Haskins led the Buckeyes to a 13-1 record with wins against Michigan, Northwestern to win the Big Ten Championship and Washington to send Coach Urban Meyer off into the sunset with a victory in Pasadena in the Rose Bowl Game.

There is little to no doubt Haskins possesses all of the intangibles a great NFL quarterback would need. He developed strong vocal leadership qualities throughout the season which are crucial at the next level.

Simba was also widely criticized for have “padded stats” because of the level of opponents on the schedule. It is safe to say that the way the Heisman finalist ended the season silenced the naysayers once and for all.

Haskins was brilliant as he threw for over 1,550 yards and seventeen touchdowns over the final four games with two of those contests coming against highly regarded defenses.

Dwayne stands at six-foot-three and weighs in at 220 pounds, giving him good size and strength to both stand in the pocket and even use his legs when necessary. Becoming a quarterback who was not afraid to run was a quality Haskins developed throughout the season, but really tore up defenses with his all-around game towards the end.

Haskins has certainly proven his worth as a quarterback as he threw for almost 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2018 and appears to be tailor-made for the NFL. Below is a chart courtesy of ESPN showing Dwayne Haskins’ stats through the air in his time at Ohio State.

STATS CMP ATT CMP% YDS   AVG  TD INT LNG RTG
2018   373  533 70.0   4,831 9.1   50  8     78  174.1
2017   40    57    70.2   565    9.9    4    1     50  173.1

2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray was presented with a very rare decision this winter as he had the luxury of choosing between playing professional baseball or football. Most people feel extremely blessed to be able to play just one sport at the collegiate level, let alone have the opportunity to play two professionally.

Murray’s style of play is the opposite of Haskins’ as he is more of a mobile quarterback who often times doubles as a magician with plays not even Madden could replicate. Murray led his Oklahoma Sooners to a 12-2 record and College Football Playoff berth where they fell to Alabama.

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

Many people question the size of Murray, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in speed. Defenses, using the term loosely, across the Big 12 will attest to the many times the Heisman Trophy winner used his shiftiness and blazed by defenders to find his way into the endzone or for a chunk play.

Murray is only 5’10 and 195 pounds, but that did not stop him from electrifying the gridiron. He passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns while also rushing for just over 1,000 yards and an additional twelve scores.

Below is a chart outlining Murray’s stats from his collegiate career, again, courtesy of ESPN.

Passing
SEASON CMP ATT  CMP%  YDS  AVG  TD INT LNG SACK RTG
2015       72    121   59.5    686    5.7    5    7    26     8       109.2
2017      18     21     85.7    359   17.1   3    0    87     0       276.5
2018      260  377   69.0   4,361 11.6  42  7    86   18      199.2

Rushing
SEASON ATT  YDS  AVG  TD  LNG
2015       53    335   6.3    1    34

2017      14    142   10.1  0    66
2018      140 1,001 7.2  12   75

Both Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray are tremendous talents as they both had the chance to put the world on notice in 2018. They are both students of the game with high football IQs and are coachable, which is something coaches and scouts watch for.

However, when evaluating the two quarterbacks as NFL prospects, I would personally give the edge to Haskins as the No. 1 prospect. His size and generational arm talent and accuracy which allows him to make any and every throw in the playbook gives him the edge.