Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith might never return to an NFL game again, but he is still being a mentor to rookie Dwayne Haskins. Haskins has had ups and downs since being drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and he has leaned on Smith, who is the former first overall pick.
Haskins said the biggest thing he has learned from Smith so far is just how to be a quarterback in the NFL.
“The biggest thing with Alex is just how to be a quarterback,” Haskins said, via Pro Football Talk. “Everyone says I know how to, I’ve been playing quarterback since I was 10 years old. But no one has all the tricks of the trade and the keys to everything.
“It’s good to hear from someone I respect, someone I watched growing up and he’s willing to extend himself to me. Why not use him as a resource?”
Haskins has a lot of pressure on him being such a high draft pick in addition to having to adjust to the NFL level. Smith said he doesn't think that type of pressure is too much for Haskins, but he knows what it's like to have that pressure and he is trying to help that.
“As a young kid, with the pressure and stress, it can be overwhelming at times,” Smith said. “I haven’t sensed that with Dwayne, but I know that’s what it was like for me. It wasn’t until I could move past that and enjoy the process and welcome it and bring it on and it flipped that mentality. . . .
The Redskins are still paying Smith a lot of money. However, if he can help Haskins get adjusted to the NFL, it will be worth every penny.
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