Team Needs : QB, DE, OT, RB, S, G, DT, CB
Round 1: 13th pick, 13th overall Dwayne Haskins QB Ohio St
Big and talented with explosive arm talent but limited mobility Haskins is a chance-taker with the arm strength to get away with some tight window throws that most in this class can’t make. Haskins is still very early in his journey and is prone to misreading coverage and stalling in getting through his progressions.
While this is normal for an inexperienced quarterback, Haskins is going to be forced to learn on the fly against NFL speed and defensive coordinators conspiring to defeat him. His athletic limitations could keep him pocket-bound, but he has the arm talent, confidence and pocket savvy to become a good NFL starter if he’s protected and given the time to develop early on.
Round 2: 16th pick, 48th overall Greg Little OL Ole Miss
Little and Oklahoma junior LT Bobby Evans (along with QB Kyler Murray) were on the same high school team in Allen, Texas, and both now have NFL futures. Little was a top five recruit regardless of position in 2016 and a second-team All-American after his senior season at Allen, which won a mythical national title in 2014. He was a Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman squad honoree in his first year on campus, playing in all 12 games and starting the final five games at left tackle. League coaches voted him second-team All-SEC after 12 starts at left tackle in 2017. He was a first-team all-conference selection his junior year after starting all 12 games at left tackle once again, fulfilling his promise as a top-level NFL prospect.
Round 3: 15th pick, 78th overall Joe Jackson DE Miami
Jackson was named the 2015 Class 5A-1A Male Athlete of the Year by the Miami Herald after excelling in football, basketball, and track at Homestead’s Gulliver Prep. The four-star recruit decided to sign on with his hometown Hurricanes to help them retain national prominence. While Miami did not quite reach those heights during his three years in Coral Gables, it was not due to a lack of effort on his part. He posted 32 tackles, leading the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a true freshman reserve (he started two of 13 games played). Jackson stood out in the team’s Russell Athletic Bowl victory over West Virginia, posting four tackles and a sack. He started 12 of 13 games in 2017, recording 59 stops including 11.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks. Jackson was named honorable mention All-ACC as a junior, leading the Hurricanes with nine sacks among his 47 tackles, 14.5 for loss. He also intercepted on pass, broke up three others, and forced two fumbles.
Round 4: 14th pick, 116th overall Beau Benzschawel G Wisconsin
Benzschawel (pronounced BEN-shawl) and his brother, Luke, followed their father (Scott) and uncle (Eric) as Badgers. The first-team All-State tight end/defensive end redshirted his first year in Madison to bulk up, and then missed the first five games of the 2015 season with an injury suffered in fall camp. Benzschawel started the final eight games of that year, six at right tackle and two at right guard. He worked his way into a second-team All-Big Ten performance in 2016 as a 14-game starter at right guard, and then garnered third-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior after starting all 14 games to the right of the center. Benzschawel was a first-team AP All-American and all-conference selection as a senior, starting all 13 games at right guard for Wisconsin.
Round 5: 13th pick, 151st overall Terry Beckner, Jr. DT Missouri
Missouri made a recruiting coup by landing Beckner, considered one of the top-10 recruits nationally out of East St. Louis. He immediately made an impact, starting five of 10 games played and garnering Freshman All-American honors with 27 tackles, eight for loss, and three sacks in 2015. Unfortunately, he tore his right ACL and MCL against BYU, which ended his season prematurely. His sophomore season (24 tackles, two for loss in seven games as a reserve) also ended due to a knee injury (left ACL) and he was also suspended in January 2016 for marijuana possession. Beckner was finally healthy in 2017, winning the Tigers’ Interior Lineman of the Year award, starting all 13 games and tying for the team lead with seven sacks (38 total tackles, 11 for loss, one interception, two pass breakups). SEC coaches rewarded Becker for his play in 2018 by voting him second-team all-conference. He started 13 games, posting 34, 11 for loss, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
Round 7, 19th pick, 233rd overall Malik Gant S Marshall
Gant is a Washington D.C. native who attended the same high school as former Marshall and NFL quarterback Byron Leftwich (now the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers). He redshirted the 2015 season as a walk-on and then played in all 12 games as a reserve the following year (six tackles). Coaches gave him a scholarship before the 2017 season, and he repaid them with a second-team All-Conference USA performance (100 tackles, 6.5 for loss, five pass breakups in 12 games with 10 starts). Gant was named Marshall’s team MVP after the 2018 season and also received first-team all-conference honors after making 95 tackles, nine for loss, intercepting two passes and breaking up eight others.
Round 7: 20th pick, 234th overall Brett Rypien QB Boise St.
Rypien is the nephew of former Washington Pro Bowl and Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien. He was considered one of the top recruits in the country after setting the Washington state record with 13,044 career passing yards and winning the state Player of the Year award as a senior by throwing for 4,552 yards and 50 touchdowns. It did not take him long to make an impact for the Broncos, winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year and earning first-team all-conference accolades (273-429, 63.6 completion pct., 3,353 yards, 20 TD, eight INT). Rypien was first-team All-Mountain West as a sophomore, as well, completing 61.9 percent of passes, throwing for 3,646 yards and 24 scores with just eight interceptions. He was second-team all-conference selection as a junior, completing 62.6 percent of his passes (218-348) for 2,877 yards and 16 scores (six INT). He also threw for 362 yards and two scores in the team’s Las Vegas Bowl win over Oregon. MWC coaches voted Rypien their Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 after he set conference records for career passing yards (13,581) and completions (1,036). He completed 67.3 percent of his throws (301-447) for 3,705 yards and 30 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Rypien holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship, as his father, Tim, is from Calgary.
The Dolphin Seer 