The 2019 NFL Draft is setting up to be quite the intriguing event that could see two top quarterbacks — Dwayne Haskins and Drew Lock — selected later than anyone expects.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, both of these quarterbacks could experience a “mini slide” when April’s draft takes place.
This follows in line with another report from a month or so back that indicated talent evaluators are so split on the top quarterbacks this year that there is even some rifts within teams’ draft rooms.
Both Haskins and Lock have the potential to become excellent pro quarterbacks, to be sure. They pass the eyeball test — both in terms of size and having the type of live arm teams covet. They both put up big-time stats in big-time conferences during their college careers.
Yet there can be no doubt that both Lock and Haskins have what could be fatal flaws to their games — a common trait in this year’s class, and in the NFL free-agency class.
Lock hasn’t been the most accurate of quarterbacks, coming in at just under 60 percent for his college career. Some of that is due to a lack of talent around him, yet accuracy is something that cannot necessarily be taught, and typically players who lack it in college don’t develop it as a pro.
Haskins struggles when he has to move laterally. He isn’t a mobile passer like many of the young quarterbacks who have thrived in recent years, and when he has to move to his right or left he tends to get all out of whack.
The one player Robinson doesn’t mention in this group is, of course, Kyler Murray. It’s been widely reported that the Arizona Cardinals are serious about taking him No. 1 overall. And while he does have a size detriment there’s no doubt he has the game to translate to the next level.
It’s going to be fascinating to see what does transpire when the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft unfolds at the end of April.