Redskins RB Chris Thompson, WR Terry McLaurin speak about their favorite NFL players

Terry McLaurin and Chris Thompson recently dished on their favorite NFL players of all-time, and their picks aren’t too surprising.

Every NFL fan has a favorite player. And considering that almost every player in the NFL grew up as fans of the league, they also have favorite players.

Recently, a couple of Washington Redskins, rookie receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Chris Thompson, were asked about their favorite players. And the responses they gave were certainly intriguing.

McLaurin’s favorite was an Indianapolis receiver who was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, Marvin Harrison. Here’s what McLaurin had to say about admiring the former Colt, per ESPN.

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"I really looked up to him being from Indianapolis just because of the way he went about his business at the receiver position. He wasn’t flashy but got his job done. … There’s only a couple people I’ve been starstruck to meet and he was one of them. I just started off reciting all his plays that I remember in my head, and he was like, ‘Dang, you remember more than I do.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I watched everything you did.’"

Harrison finished his NFL career with 1,102 catches, 14,580 receiving yards, and 128 touchdowns over the course of his 13-season career.

McLaurin’s description of Harrison, in some ways, is reminiscent of McLaurin’s playing style. McLaurin has burning speed and did make some big plays at Ohio State, but the biggest value from his skillset comes via his understated special teams ability and versatility. He should become an asset that gets the job done in many ways, much like Harrison was able to win in many ways with the Colts.

Meanwhile, McLaurin’s new teammate, Chris Thompson, also idolized a player at his position in former San Diego Chargers running back LaDanian Tomlinson. Here’s what Thompson said about Tomlinson in the ESPN piece.

"He was one of the first guys that I remember seeing that I paid attention to growing up that was a runner as well as a good receiver. That’s what I wanted my game to be. … He’s my favorite running back of all time with Reggie Bush tied for first."

The inclusion of Reggie Bush in there is certainly interesting, and Bush did help to progress the usage of pass-catching-centered running backs in the NFL. And it’s clear that Thompson has modeled his game more on being a receiver, partially due to his smaller frame, but also due to his dynamic and elusive ability in space. That’s part of the reason that he has more career receiving yards than rushing yards and has averaged a solid 8.2 yards per catch.

It’s always interesting to see which NFL legends players admired in their younger years. And in this instance, it’s easy to see how McLaurin and Thompson have at least modeled some aspects of their game after their idols.