Every year 245 college football players are selected into the NFL along with a handful of undrafted free agents. Some are poised to be the future of their franchises while others will not even make the opening day roster. This is an inside look into three of the Washington Redskins selections in the 2019 NFL Draft and how they got here.
Dwayne Haskins: Quarterback, Ohio State
The story of the NFL draft was Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins sliding to the Redskins at pick number 15. Haskins, a DC area native, attended the Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland where he threw for over 5,000 yards and accounted for 54 touchdowns in his high school career.
After originally committing to the University of Maryland, he took his talents to Columbus, Ohio where he redshirted his freshman year and served as the backup to J.T Barrett in 2017. In 2018 he was finally given the starting job and kept Ohio State at the top of the college football world.
Throwing for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in a single season, he was named a Heisman Trophy finalist which goes to the best college football player in America and led the Buckeyes to a win at the highly coveted Rose Bowl. Following a dominant year, Haskins was projected to be one of the top picks in the 2019 NFL Draft and the first quarterback taken off the board.
However, quarterbacks Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma and Daniel Jones from Duke were selected at picks No. 1 and No. 6 pushing Haskins to the Redskins at No. 15. Due to starting quarterback Alex Smith suffering a severe leg injury, Washington was in need of a young quarterback and Haskins was their man.
One of the biggest steals of the draft, Haskins will likely be the backup to veteran quarterback Case Keenum in order to develop his game some more. Bill Horgan, a writer for SB Nation’s “Hog Heaven” believes that “[Haskins] will have to develop the ability to read a defense pre-snap, make quick decisions and make few errors,” but that “if the Redskins fall 2 games under .500 and seem to be out of the playoff hunt, the team will use the second half of the season to develop Haskins in live-game action.”
Montez Sweat: Defensive End, Mississippi State
Montez Sweat faced a lot of adversity throughout his football career before being selected by the Redskins with the 26th pick in this year’s draft. After initially committing to play for Michigan State University in 2014, he was kicked off the team in 2016 for drug-related issues and enrolled at Copiah-Lincoln Community College that same year.
By 2017, he was one of the top junior college recruits in the country and signed to play with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference over numerous other Division I offers. Sweat was selected to the All-SEC team two years in a row and was invited to participate in the 2019 NFL Combine, where he put on a show.
Sweat ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the combine, a mark uncharacteristic of a player at his 6 foot 6, 250-pound frame and faster than some of the best young running backs in the league including Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara.
However, after being misdiagnosed with a heart condition, Sweat went from a potential top-10 pick in the draft to a fringe first-round selection. The Redskins picked the best available player at No. 26 and Sweat will fit in well with their already young and blossoming defense. “I think [Sweat] is going to be a great fit. He’s insanely fast and has great lateral movement and has a big chip on his shoulder”, WIS sophomore and diehard Redskins fan Alex Camel-Toueg said.
Bryce Love: Running Back, Stanford
Another Heisman Trophy finalist was drafted by the Redskins in the 2019 NFL Draft, this time in the form of Stanford University running back, Bryce Love. Coming out of North Carolina, Love excelled at football and track from a young age and was named USA Track & Field Youth Athlete of the Year in 2009.
He committed to play football at Stanford University in 2015 where he served as backup to future NFL running back Christian McCaffrey for his first two seasons. Though, 2017 was his breakout year as he finished second in the nation in total rushing yards and runner-up for the Heisman trophy.
However, 2018 was a down year for Love as he missed extensive time due to injury and rushed for a mere 739 yards and 6 total touchdowns, dropping his draft stock tremendously. The Redskins took a risk by selecting injury-prone Love with the 112th pick in the draft, though they believe in his natural talent and have trust in their medical and training staff.
While it will be hard for Love to make an instant impact in his rookie season due to a deep group of running backs already on the team, Horgan believes that “he will be an explosive offensive weapon for the next several years for the Redskins.
By Anders Westermann
