Dwayne Haskins fell to the Washington Redskins with the 15th selection in last week's NFL draft which has seemingly only fueled his desire to be an elite professional quarterback.
Haskins looks to have all the tools to be great after rewriting Ohio State's record books in his one season as the starter highlighted by over 4,800 yards passing, 50 touchdown tosses against just eight picks, a 70% completion rate and a third place finish in the Heisman race.
Of course, collegiate domination – especially at the quarterback position – isn't a surefire indicator of success at the next level. In fact, while Ohio State's program has created an NFL pipeline at positions like defensive back, wide receiver and the offensive and defensive line spots, turning out even serviceable signal-callers has remained an incredibly tough putt.
In fact, Haskins became just the second ever Buckeye quarterback selected in the first round, joining Art Schlichter who was selected fourth overall in the 1982 draft only to become one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
So what will Haskins have to do in order to become the most prolific Buckeye quarterback in the NFL ranks? Here's how it shakes out.
| QUARTERBACK | RD | PK | YEAR | YEARS | GAMES | GS | COMP | ATT | COMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. TOMCZAK | N/A | N/A | 1985 | 15 | 185 | 73 | 1,248 | 2,337 | 53.4 | 16,079 | 88 | 106 |
| K. GRAHAM | 8 | 211 | 1992 | 8 | 81 | 38 | 692 | 1,339 | 51.8 | 7,801 | 39 | 33 |
| T. TUPA | 3 | 68 | 1988 | 9 | 220 | 13 | 259 | 504 | 51.4 | 3,340 | 12 | 25 |
| B. HOYING | 3 | 85 | 1996 | 5 | 22 | 13 | 244 | 456 | 53.5 | 2,544 | 11 | 15 |
| T. PRYOR | 3* | 1 | 2011 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 170 | 302 | 56.3 | 1,953 | 9 | 12 |
| T. SMITH | 5 | 174 | 2007 | 4 | 20 | 8 | 121 | 234 | 51.7 | 1,734 | 8 | 5 |
| A. SCHLICHTER | 1 | 4 | 1982 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 91 | 202 | 45.0 | 1,006 | 3 | 11 |
| C. KRENZEL | 5 | 148 | 2004 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 59 | 127 | 46.5 | 718 | 3 | 6 |
| c. brumbaugh | N/A | N/A | 1930 | 8 | 96 | 49 | 34 | 121 | 28.1 | 656 | 9 | 14 |
| S. PINCURA | N/A | N/A | 1937 | 2 | 22 | 8 | 22 | 60 | 36.7 | 332 | 1 | 10 |
Believe it or not, Mike Tomczak, a dude who wasn't even selected in the 1982 draft, remains the most successful Buckeye quarterback in the league. Though Tomczak does boast a Super Bowl ring acquired in his rookie season, he logged double-digit starts just twice ('89, '96) in 15 years and threw more picks (106) than touchdowns (88).
Surviving 15 years in the NFL is a hell of an accomplishment to be sure and he did rack up over 16,000 passing yards – albeit with a 53% completion rate – easily making him the most decorated of past Buckeye signal-callers.
Runner up to Tomczak's best-ever title is none other than Kent Graham, a one-year starter for the Buckeyes via a transfer from Notre Dame.
Not much was expected from the 211th overall pick of the 1992 draft but Graham managed to stick in the league for eight seasons going 17-21 as a starter including a 10-5 record over his final two seasons with the New York Giants.
Graham logged time in 81 games with his best statistical seasons coming in 1996 for Arizona (8 starts, 1,624 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT) and in 1999 for the Giants (9 starts, 1,697, 9 TD, 9 INT).
The three-hole belongs to punter Tom Tupa who lasted 16 NFL seasons thanks to his right foot, while nine of those featured time at quarterback.
Tupa recorded just 13 quarterback starts across those nine seasons with 11 coming for Arizona in 1991. The Cardinals went 4-7 with Tupa under center posting 2,053 yards passing with six touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Tupa also gets bonus points for recording the NFL's first ever two-point conversion against the Browns in 1994.
In total, Tupa tallied 3,430 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 25 interceptions with a 51.4% completion rate across nine seasons.
Behind Tupa, a 1996 selection of the Philadelphia Eagles, Bobby Hoying lasted five years in the NFL. After taking over the starting job in Philly late in his second season and throwing for 1,573 yards and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions, things went south in a hurry as he lost his first five starts of 1998, finishing the year with nine interceptions and zero touchdowns.
A trade to Oakland the following season led to just six more appearances before a serious elbow injury ended his career. Hoying tallied 2,544 passing yards over his five seasons making him one of just four former Buckeyes to reach the 2,500 passing yards plateau in the NFL.
Only three other Buckeye quarterbacks managed to throw for over 1,000 yards in the NFL, led by Terrelle Pryor's 1,953.
Pryor played three seasons at quarterback after being taken in the Supplemental Draft by the host of Tales From the Crypt, Al Davis. The Jeanette, Pennsylvania product logged 10 starts going 3-7, with nine of those coming during a 2013 season. It might surprise you to know Pryor leads all former Buckeyes with a 56.3% completion rate in the NFL.
Behind Pryor, fifth-round pick Troy Smith threw for 1,734 yards and went 4-4 as a starter over a four-year career with Baltimore and San Francisco.
Smith looked to be making progress early in his career in Baltimore before a complication of tonsillitis – Lemierre's Syndrome – paved the way for Joe Flacco to eventually put a stranglehold on the position, triggering Smith's trade to the 49ers.
The final Buckeye to log at least 1,000 yards passing in the NFL, Art Schlichter parlayed his status as the 4th overall pick of the 1982 draft into 13 games and six starts – all losses – amid a one-year gambling suspension before eventually a brief stint in the CFL and later the arena league.
Back to present day, Haskins enters the league with legit collegiate accomplishments, a rifle arm and the mechanics of a marksman. Nothing is guaranteed, but there's good reason to believe Haskins will set a new standard for all future Buckeye signal-callers to shoot for as his professional career unfolds.
