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Wait, what? Stephen A. Smith says Dwayne Haskins is ‘more of a runner than a thrower’

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

For the next two months, there will be plenty of conversations about whether Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray is the better NFL prospect. And after watching both guys play, a case can be made for either side.

But ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith might’ve made the most ridiculous argument about Haskins that you’ll hear at any point over the next two months. It’s pretty clear that he rarely, if ever, tuned into an Ohio State game.

“Haskins is no joke,” Smith said during ESPN’s First Take. “He can make all the requisite throws on the NFL level, he played for a big-time program at Ohio State. I just find him to be more of a runner than a thrower. I could be wrong about that, but that’s what I find.”

No, Stephen A. Smith, you are most definitely wrong about that.

While Haskins certainly has good mobility and pocket awareness, the Buckeye quarterback rushed for 108 yards on 79 carries in 2018. Half of that total came in the game against Maryland, in which he totaled 59 yard. Three of his four rushing touchdowns also came against the Terrapins.

Haskins throwing numbers on the other hand, those are quite a bit better. He led the NCAA in passing yards with 4,831 and totaled 50 touchdowns, another NCAA high. He did all of that while completing passes at a 70 percent clip.

So yeah, Smith’s assessment that Haskins is more of a runner than a thrower is way off base here. He’s not even in the ballpark.

Fortunately for Haskins, Smith won’t be making any selections on draft day.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB