Friday Featured Athlete: Washington Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins

Each Friday, Ultimate Autographs will feature one athlete that is part of the Ultimate Autographs lineup. This week's Friday Featured Athlete is the 2019 NFL Draft 1st round pick, Dwayne Haskins.

Dwayne Haskins was originally headed towards the University of Maryland but switched his commitment to the Ohio State University Buckeyes after Maryland's head coach was fired mid-season. Dwayne Haskins initially filled a supporting role for the Buckeyes football team, redshirting his freshman year and serving as the backup to J.T. Barrett during his second season with the team. However, Dwayne Haskins took the world by storm in his sophomore season when he was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

During his first (and only) season as a starter for the Buckeyes, Dwayne Haskins set numerous records for the Ohio State Buckeyes football program and the Big Ten. He became just sixth QB to pass for 50 touchdowns in a single season. Dwayne Haskins shined in high-pressure situations, claiming the MVP award for both the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game and the 2019 Rose Bowl. Dwayne Haskins earned All-Big Ten honors, was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Following his incredible 2018 season, Dwayne Haskins announced he would forego his final two years of eligibility and declared for the 2019 NFL Draft.

NFL Draft analysts were seemingly all over the board when grading Dwayne Haskins in the leadup to the NFL Draft. Some pegged him as the top QB in the class while others erred on the side of caution with their projections.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Dwayne Haskins to former NFL QB Drew Bledsoe with his pre-Draft analysis.

Big and talented with explosive arm talent but limited mobility Haskins is a chance-taker with the arm strength to get away with some tight window throws that most in this class can't make. Haskins is still very early in his journey and is prone to misreading coverage and stalling in getting through his progressions. While this is normal for an inexperienced quarterback, Haskins is going to be forced to learn on the fly against NFL speed and defensive coordinators conspiring to defeat him. His athletic limitations could keep him pocket-bound, but he has the arm talent, confidence and pocket savvy to become a good NFL starter if he's protected and given the time to develop early on. (via NFL.com)

Dwayne Haskins was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden recently told ESPN that  Dwayne Haskins deserves a shot to start for the team. With his NFL stock seemingly on the rise and the chance to become a NFL superstar, Dwayne Haskins is sure to be a name that football memorabilia collectors become familiar with for years to come.

I’m really going to miss Dwayne Haskins... pic.twitter.com/KoW9tOzeuv

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) January 13, 2019