ASHBURN Art Monk Jersey , Va. (AP) — , and it began the path to being drafted by the Redskins.Snyder and team President Bruce Allen had their sights set on the Ohio State standout leading up to the NFL draft and didn’t even have to trade up to get him, getting someone they hope will be their quarterback of the future by taking Haskins with the 15th pick Thursday night.“It’s just crazy how small this world is and how you meet somebody and that can change your life,” Haskins said. “I’ve got to do all I can to make sure that I leave a lasting impression on people. I think that’s (why) Mr. Snyder thought that I was the guy for this franchise.”Born in New Jersey, Haskins and his family moved to Potomac, Maryland, before high school. He got to know Snyder’s son at the Bullis School and met the Redskins’ owner during the draft process.The Redskins did move up to fill another need late in the first round, trading up to No. 26 and selecting edge rusher Montez Sweat out of Mississippi State. They sent their second-round pick, 46th overall, and a 2020 second-rounder to the Indianapolis Colts to get back into the first round.There was plenty of internal debate within the front office about whether Washington should go quarterback at No. 15 because there are so many other needs, and coach Jay Gruden said there was talk of moving up for Haskins or taking Sweat there. The Redskins have to wait until the third round, where they have the 76th and 96th overall picks, to fill holes at wide receiver, tight end, guard and in the secondary.“We can go a lot of different ways, really,” Gruden said.Haskins joins a crowded roster at QB with injured veteran Alex Smith, longtime backup Colt McCoy and trade acquisition Case Keenum. Smith is expected to miss the entire 2019 season after breaking his right leg in November. Gruden is not ruling out Haskins competing for the starting job right away.“If you’re a 15th pick in the draft, I think you have to give him an opportunity, without a doubt,” Gruden said. “We feel good about the guys that we have in the building, for sure, but when you take a guy in the first round at any time, you’re going to have to give him a chance to compete.”Haskins only started one NCAA season but threw for a Big Ten record 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns, had just eight interceptions and rushed for four scores as a redshirt sophomore. He led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title and a 13-1 season and is confident that lack of experience won’t hurt him.“I feel like I showed all I could as far as one year,” Haskins. “I broke a lot of records and did a lot of great things. I feel like I did a lot of stuff that showed that I can be able to translate to the NFL. Just being able to do what I did at a high level, it was the right choice for me to make that change to go to the pros. I’m grateful the Redskins thought so, as well.”Haskins was the third quarterback taken in the draft after the Arizona Cardinals took Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray first overall and the Redskins’ NFC East rival New York Giants selected Duke’s Daniel Jones with the sixth pick. Haskins said of the Giants, “I’m just looking forward to being able to compete against those guys for the rest of my career.”As soon as the Miami Dolphins passed on Haskins and took Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, Haskins said he knew he was going to the Redskins.Haskins, family members and friends watched the draft at a bowling alley and sports bar in Gaithersburg, Maryland, about 30 miles from the Redskins’ practice facility. The Redskins went with a quarterback in the first round for the first time since 2012, when they traded up to get Robert Griffin III with the second pick.Seconds after Washington selected Haskins, Griffin tweeted : “You didn’t draft the young man for nothing. You did it because you believe in the young man. You did it because you need a Quarterback. Don’t give up on him prematurely. He is your investment. Give the kid time to prove himself. Congrats young gun!!! Enjoy every second of it!”Haskins attended a couple of Redskins home games at FedEx Field when Griffin was the starter. Now he’s succeeding him as the latest hope to get them back to on-field relevancy after missing the playoffs the past three seasons and nine of the past 11.Sweat fills a void for Washington after pass-rusher Preston Smith left for Green Bay in free agency. He slipped amid medical concerns about a heart condition that he said was misdiagnosed and then called normal by Houston Texans doctor James Muntz.Gruden said the Redskins believe Sweat is healthy, and they have a motivated player in their second first-round pick.“They definitely got a winner in me,” Sweat said. “I’m more motivated than ever.” METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints quarterback Drew Brees is averaging fewer yards per game passing than at any point in his 11-plus seasons with New Orleans.Yet he sees no evidence of a drop-off in his effectiveness, or that of his receivers.Overshadowed by dramatic improvements in the Saints’ running game and defense is the fact that the 38-year-old Brees has been as efficient as ever.He’s keeping defenses on their heels with a personal best completion percentage and drive-sustaining third down conversions when New Orleans has needed them during its seven-game winning streak.“When we’re running the ball effectively and when we’re playing the type of defense we’re playing, it’s not necessary to throw the ball 35 Derrius Guice Jersey , 40 times a game,” Brees said. “If we can throw the ball mid-20s and rush the ball 40-something times and win the way that we have, then, man, that’s great.“I’m sure there’s going to be games where we’re going to need to throw it (much more) to win the game — and we’re ready to do that,” Brees added. “We’ve done that many times before.”The Saints have finished the regular season leading the NFL in yards passing six times since Brees arrived in New Orleans in 2006.New Orleans has never finished a season worse than fourth in yards passing; that was the 2009 season, which ended with New Orleans’ only Super Bowl triumph.Now New Orleans ranks fifth in yards passing per game at 260.2 — still elite in a 32-team league, but below the Saints’ usual passing production since Brees joined forces with coach Sean Payton.However, Brees’ completion rate of 71.7 percent, if he sustains that through the end of the season, would set a NFL record, breaking the mark of 71.6 percent set by Sam Bradford last season (when he broke Brees’ 2011 mark of 71.2 percent).Brees’ career-low interception rate for a whole season is 1.8 percent in 2013 and 2015. Though nine games this season, he’s been intercepted on only 1.3 percent of his passes.“A the end of the day, you want to be as efficient as you possibly can, so that’s what we talk about when it comes to anything around here — it’s efficiency,” Brees said.“How efficient are we at the passing game? How efficient are we in the running game? How efficient are we on third down and in the red zone? And all that together results in a winning formula.”In a 47-10, cold-weather victory at Buffalo that really seemed to get the rest of the NFL’s attention, the Saints rushed for 298 yards, making them only the fifth team in NFL history with as many as 295 yards and six touchdowns rushing in a game.But Brees still connected on 72 percent of his passes (18 of 25), including connections of 30 yards to Brandon Coleman and 28 yards to Michael Thomas.“The total numbers are never important. It is more of what we are doing each week,” Payton said. “Obviously, in today’s NFL, you have to be able to convert third downs. You have to be able to attack certain defenses and we feel confident that that’s something that each week we’ll put the time in and be able to do.”Thomas finished the victory at Buffalo with nine catches for 117 yards, and said that when he has reviewed game video this season, he has seen a Saints passing game that is highly in sync and productive, even if overall attempts and yards are down.“Any game,” Thomas began, “Drew could go for 500 (yards) if he needs to, but we’re not asking him for that.”Redskins coach Jay Gruden, whose team will have to try to stop the Saints in the Superdome on Sunday, said fewer attempts or yards by no means indicate a drop-off in Brees’ effectiveness as a passer.“Sometimes that is better. A lot of people worry about stats and fantasy football numbers … but when you have balance, I think it makes it easier on the entire offense, the play-caller and the quarterback, the receivers, everybody,” Gruden said.“An effective passing game doesn’t mean it has to lead the league in yardage. It just means it has to be effective getting the ball down the field and in the end zone. That’s what they’re doing right now.”NOTES: Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro, who missed last Sunday’s game with a groin pull, returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis. … Running back Jonathan Williams, whom the Saints signed off Denver’s practice squad, practiced with New Orleans for the first time.——