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Perhaps one of the biggest wild cards heading into the 2019 NFL campaign is Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The Redskins took Haskins with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month, as the Ohio State surprisingly slid out of the top 10 and fell into Washington's lap (the Redskins can thank the New York Giants for that).
With Alex Smith likely out for all of 2019 while he recovers from a gruesome broken leg injury, Haskins actually has a legitimate chance to start under center for Washington.
The question is, will he win the job out of training camp?
That is what Fantasy Football players all over the nation are wondering heading into next season, as Haskins could either represent a sleeper pick or someone who isn't even deserving of a fantasy roster spot.
Here is what we do know: Haskins will be competing with veterans Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for the starting job, and the Redskins certainly do not seem ready to hand the position over to Haskins.
Of course, the 22-year-old is Washington's quarterback of the future, and it would be a pretty big surprise if he is not the team's full-time starter by 2020, but do the Redskins want to throw him into the fray immediately in his first season?
We need to keep in mind that Keenum has been a starter each of the last two seasons. There were mixed results, as he led the Minnesota Vikings to a 13-win campaign in 2017 and then flopped with the Denver Broncos this past year, but the fact of the matter is that he does have experience and could, at the very least, serve as a placeholder until Haskins is ready.
As for McCoy? He is recovering from a broken leg of his own and has undergone multiple procedures to repair it this offseason. He should be ready for training camp, but he seems to be third in the race even though he has been with the Redskins since 2014.
Most likely, it's between Haskins and Keenum for the No. 1 spot, and that decision will ultimately depend on how ready Haskins looks in training camp and preseason and whether or not Washington feels it is necessary to get him out there right away.
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Haskins is supremely talented and is coming off of a remarkable sophomore campaign at Ohio State in which he threw for 4,831 yards, 50 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes. No, he isn't very mobile, but with that type of production, his lack of athleticism is not as big of a deal.
To be fair, NFL defensive players are faster, quicker and smarter, so some form of mobility would behoove Haskins, but with his size, arm strength and pocket presence, it might not end up being that significant of an issue.
It really is impossible to project just what type of rookie year Haskins might have because we don't even know if he is going to play yet. He might start all 16 games. He might start half of them. He might not play at all.
We won't be able to gauge what Jay Gruden is thinking of doing until near the end of training camp when one quarterback will have likely separated himself from the pack.
But let's pretend for a second that Haskins does win the starting job. Is he worth a fantasy selection?
You can never say for sure with rookie quarterbacks, but one thing we can go off of is the Redskins' receiving corps, which was among the worst in the NFL in 2018 and doesn't look all that much better in 2019.
Washington's offensive line was also pretty bad this past year, but it was ravaged by injuries, so we don't know what to expect this coming season.
All I can really say about Haskins is to tread carefully because the odds are certainly stacked against him in Year 1.
