The Giants turned out for Dwayne Haskins.
A contingent of their top decision-makers arrived in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday in advance of the Ohio State Pro Day and took Haskins out to dinner. Head coach Pat Shurmur and his offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, were in attendance, as were Chris Mara, senior vice president of player personnel, Kevin Abrams, vice president of football operations and assistant general manager, and Chris Pettit, director of college scouting.
Translation: Pretty much all the big guns.
This group will observe Haskins on Wednesday as he works on the field of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Haskins is expected to throw and run. He will be looking to better his unimpressive time of 5.04 in the 40-yard dash he put up last month at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. He said his legs were cramping up during that run, affecting his time.
Haskins is certainly in play for the Giants with the No. 6 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. General manager Dave Gettleman has said he wants to find the successor to Eli Manning this year, if at all possible, and Haskins is likely at or near the top of the list as a consideration. In his one and only year as a starter for the Buckeyes, Haskins set single-season Big Ten records for passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Gettleman prefers to scout players by poring over tape of them. He will get a chance for some quality time with Haskins when the prospect is invited to the Giants facility later in the process for one of the team’s 30 visits.
“It’s a massive decision,’’ Gettleman said last month. “This is the face of your franchise. He’s got to do all the right stuff for all the right reasons.’’
Last month at the combine, Haskins recounted growing up in Highland Park, NJ, as a fan of the Giants before his family moved to Maryland. “New York, of course, would be a great spot for me,’’ Haskins said at the time.
He also made sure to point out that if he is selected by a team with an established starting quarterback, sitting and learning would not be a problem.
“I’m comfortable enough to be able to learn from someone that’s been there in front of me,” Haskins said.