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Michael Conroy/Associated Press

STRENGTHS

—Clean technician with ideal arm movement, lower body base and an easy, flawless whip through his throw. Can spin the ball well with an over-the-top motion and a fast release.

—At his best working over the middle of the field on short-to-intermediate throws; offers touch and timing to give receivers yards-after-the-catch ability.

—Played his best football down the stretch after gaining experience as a starter; attacked strong defenses vs. Michigan, Northwestern and Washington and came out with 14 touchdowns and only one interception. Teams should be encouraged by his in-season development and poise in big moments.

—Active in the pocket despite a lack of speed and lateral mobility; confident to hold his ground between the tackles and scan the field with a hop in his step.

—Stands tall in the pocket and is able to easily see over his line and find middle-of-the-field targets.

—Executed well on half-rollouts, especially to his right, where he showed good touch and accuracy on the move.

WEAKNESSES

—One-year starter at Ohio State with little exposure to NFL-style throws (i.e. downfield timing routes).

—Struggles to hit downfield throws due to limited arm strength and timing on his throws; doesn't have the arm to lead receivers deep and didn't attempt many shots down the field.

—Offers little to no threat as a runner; thick-bodied and doesn't show burst or quick-twitch movement.

—Can be slow to read coverage and can stall in the pocket trying to find his progressions. Needs more reps before he's ready to attack an NFL defense.

—Can get stuck on first read and linger in the pocket waiting for his man to come open. Will have to adjust to throwing into tighter windows with better timing.

OVERALL



Critics will tell you Dwayne Haskins benefited from tremendous yards-after-the-catch performances by his receivers, while supporters will say he made the right read and gave his man room to operate. That's how it goes with Haskins, who is a polarizing quarterback prospect because of his natural arm talent and poise but limited reps in college. NFL scouts will have a hard time pointing to success from quarterback prospects with so few starts in college, but Haskins' ability to throw on time and accurately, plus his poise and football IQ, add up to project a future-starter grade. Haskins would benefit from time to develop behind an established starter or being worked into an offense that relies on short and intermediate timing plays, like the Cincinnati Bengals or Washington Redskins.

GRADE: 7.00 (ROUND 1 - TOP-15 PLAYER POTENTIAL)

PRO COMPARISON: Carson Palmer