Why Dwayne Haskins Won't Attend the NFL Draft

And what the Ohio State QB will be doing on draft night.

When the list of the 23 prospects attending the NFL draft in Nashville came out last week, there was one noticeable name absent: Dwayne Haskins.

Of the top four QB prospects (Kyler Murray, Haskins, Daniel Jones and Drew Lock) Haskins is the only one who won’t be at the draft, prompting speculation that the reasons for his staying away are tied to recent reporting that his draft stock might be falling and that he will not be second quarterback off the board, as he was previously considered.

Haskins was invited to Nashville, but according to his father, Dwayne Haskins Sr., his son never considered attending the NFL draft, so his absence is not a reflection on his draft stock. Instead of sitting in the green room, Haskins and his family will host a large draft party at a bowling alley near their home in Gaithersburg, Md.

“It has always been his dream to do a draft party,” says Haskins Sr. “We were never going to [go to Nashville], this has always been something that we've planned.”

Haskins Sr. says 300 people who have been a part of his son’s life are committed to attending the party. Former coaches, teammates, family, friends, classmates, teachers, “people from all different phases of this journey are going to represent him for that day,” says Haskins Sr.

Haskins Jr. is a frequent recreational bowler. The family has been planning his bowling draft party for weeks, but chose to keep it quiet out of respect for the NFL’s process of inviting the top prospects to attend the draft.

A handful of other top 2019 prospects will also not be in Nashville: Michigan defensive end Rashan Gary, Mississippi State defensive end Jeffery Simmons, and NC State center Garrett Bradbury.

OTHER DRAFT NEWS

• In an exclusive interview with SITV, Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen opened up about his current status in Arizona, who is expected to draft Murray with the first pick, and possibly trade Rosen, who they drafted in the first round just last year. “I definitely understand the situation,” Rosen said. “I mean, it’s annoying but, like, it is what it is. Football’s a business, and I definitely the higher-ups and their decisions. . . . Whatever decisions are made, it’s my duty to prove them right if they keep me, and prove them wrong if they ship me off.” 

• Yesterday was the final day of visits, and there is now just one more week until the draft. Lock visited Green Bay on Tuesday and I would keep an eye out for Green Bay to take him if he is still on the board for the Packers second first round pick, No. 30. But that might not be a possibility because as our Jenny Vrentas predicted in her mock draft, if Lock falls to the bottom of the first round, a team like Denver may to trade back into the first round to pass up a handful of teams like Green Bay who are looking for a QB of the future.

• Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.