One of the most important things that a rookie QB in the NFL can hear is encouragement and acceptance from past greats.
For Washington’s Dwayne Haskins, that sentiment was given by former Redskins’ legends, Mark Rypien and Billy Kilmer.
“Be the first one in, and the last one out,” Rypien said on Thursday night, via the Washington Post. “Get all your mental reps in and go over game plans, your playbook, watch film, work out. Be the last guy to leave. Dwayne can take that team over by doing those things.”
Rypien, who was the Super Bowl XXVI MVP, knows a thing or two about how to be a leader in the NFL. Kilmer — who has his number retired in the Washington Redskins’ Ring of Fame — shared a similar sentiment.
“Be very humble,” Kilmer said. “And learn a lot and study the game and do what the coaches say. That would be the best thing. Especially for a rookie in this league. Just be humble. Be attentive. Practice hard.”
Haskins has been lauded as one of the top QB prospects coming out of college this year, and many are looking at his multitude of knowledge of the X’s and O’s, projecting that it will help him smoothly transition into the faster-paced NFL.
“I loved what I saw of Dwayne when he played in college,” Rypien said. “It’s yet to be seen what he can do in the pros, but the upside is that he’s a young player that is eager to take this team to that next level.”
Whatever he ends up doing in the NFL, he should know that he has the support of past generations or Redskins’ greats. Maybe one day he will join them in that Washington Ring of Fame.
