https://www.profootballfocus.com/new...each-rookie-qb
Haskins comes into the league in a similar position to Jones in that there is a veteran quarterback with starting experience that stands between him and an immediate path to the top spot on the depth chart. Case Keenum will likely get the starter reps to start the offseason, but given Haskins’ first-round pedigree and Keenum’s shaky play in Denver last season, there’s a decent chance Haskins will take the field as the starter at some point this season.
Haskins was our second-ranked quarterback heading into the draft, behind just Kyler Murray. As Steve Palazzolo broke down in Haskins’ pre-draft evaluation, though, he is not quite in the same tier as Murray in that his success at the next level will likely be dependent on his supporting cast. One area that is paramount is pass protection, as perhaps more than anyone else at the top of the class, Haskins is dependent on a clean pocket to succeed.
His clean-pocket passing grade of 90.4 dropped to 56.7 when pressure got home. Part of that clean-pocket performance was due to how good he was when navigating to his second read, where his 91.5 passing grade on those throws led all quarterback prospects. If the pressure gets home, there is less time for Haskins to hang in the pocket and progress through his reads. Clean pocket quarterback play is stable year to year, and Haskins has shown himself to be among the best in the class when working without pressure. It seems obvious, but the Redskins need to make sure he’s given that clean pocket in order to maximize the play from their first-round selection.
Another area where Haskins excelled when at Ohio State was in play action. He completed 81 of his 122 play-action attempts for 1,351 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Among 120 FBS quarterbacks with at least 50 play-action attempts in 2018, Haskins’s passer rating of 136.3 on such throws ranked second behind only Tua Tagovailoa.
Play action wasn’t a large part of the repertoire for the Redskins last season, as Alex Smith used play action on only 21.4% of his dropbacks before his injury (22nd out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks). On those play-action attempts, he saw his completion percentage drop 4.3% from when he didn’t use play action, but his yards per attempt jumped from 6.3 to 8.2 yards per attempt.
Among the league-leading offenses in play action rate were the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs. Play action has proven to be effective leaguewide, and the league’s best offenses are taking advantage. The Redskins should do the same with Haskins.
Lastly, it should be noted that Haskins is reunited with Ohio State teammate Terry McLaurin in Washington, and it is hard to get much better than that duo was last season. When targeting McLaurin, Haskins went 34-of- 48 for 650 yards, ten touchdowns and no interceptions, good for a passer rating of 152.8. The Redskins will be hoping that connection continues to yield similar results in the NFL.