Dwayne Haskins took to Twitter late last week to post “Don’t overthink it. Trust me.’’
No chance.
NFL draft time is “Overthink It” time and there is more overheated analysis about Haskins than nearly any other player set to hear his name Thursday night in Round 1.
The views of Haskins, a solidly built quarterback and only a one-year starter at Ohio State, are wildly disparate. There is a large media contingent aggressively hailing him as the best quarterback in this draft. There was tremendous early hype, but more recently there are vibes he is not in a high spot on many draft boards. Haskins himself is unafraid to build himself up on social media, but always in a respectful manner.
It sure looks as if the Giants can sit at No. 6 and Haskins will be there for the taking. It is not believed they will do so. The Giants also own the No. 17 overall pick.
“I feel like they have interest and they like me a lot,” Haskins said Monday on WFAN. “Will they pick me at six or 17? I don’t know, but I feel like I definitely did my part with the meetings with [general manager Dave] Gettleman, [coach Pat] Shurmur and [offensive coordinator Mike] Shula. I did my best to show that I can handle the stuff that comes with being a New York Giants quarterback, but it’s out of my control at this point.”
Haskins’ Twitter bio says “Jersey raised me. Maryland made me.’’ He grew up in New Jersey before his family moved to Maryland, where Haskins attended high school. Haskins grew up a Giants fan and if he comes to them, he would sit and learn for a season, or at least part of his rookie year, behind Eli Manning, and he has said he is fine with that.
“I don’t think he’d have a problem with that,’’ Patrick Cilento, Haskins’ high school coach at the Bullis School, told The Post earlier in the draft process. “Again, he sat behind J.T. Barrett for two years [at Ohio State] before becoming the quarterback. He’s a very humble guy. He lives and breathes football.’’
Haskins is a polarizing prospect. He set school and Big Ten passing records in his one year as a starter at Ohio State. His 50 touchdowns in 2018 are almost on par with Daniel Jones’ three-year career total of 52 at Duke. Haskins, though, is not a prototype 2019 NFL quarterback as far as mobility and quickness.
“A guy doesn’t have to be a track star at the position, but I want a guy that has some rhythm in his body playing the position,’’ an NFL talent evaluator specializing in quarterbacks told The Post. “I want a guy that has some good feet and is athletic and I don’t see that type of athlete in him. And he’s not as accurate as you want. His completion percentage is misleading to me. He’s not as accurate as the kid from Oklahoma [Kyler Murray] and I don’t think it’s close.’’
Dan Shonka, general manager and national scout for Ourlads’ scouting service, says the Giants should take Haskins with the sixth pick. Basically, the Giants should not overthink it.
“I wouldn’t hesitate,’’ Shonka said. “He’s the best quarterback in this draft and I think that will be proven out in a short amount of time.’’