Every draft season, there are workout warriors who bolster their draft stock with exceptional combine performances.
These workout warriors often carry a distinct profile, for the very nature of their game is often incomplete. Players often rely on physical talents, over mental depth and development, to convince a team to bank on their potential.
There are players who qualify as the inverse, but the NFL Combine gives workout warriors a chance to quantify their own athletic traits, and effectively categorize themselves into historical testing quadrants. It’s the workout warrior moniker that’s so dangerous. With its ability to coax a team into taking an incomplete prospect too early.
And it’s the reason Terry McLaurin is such an enticing prospect for the Washington Redskins.
McLaurin wasn’t supposed to be a workout warrior. A tireless worker with a complete game and a well-developed understanding of route nuance and leverage, McLaurin came to the NFL Combine without a need for the workout warrior boon. And yet, he got it anyway, posting a 4.35 40-yard dash, a 125-inch broad jump, and a 37.5-inch vertical jump. All this, at 6-foot-0, 210 pounds.
McLaurin is a complete player who doubles as an explosive athletic talent; a high-floor player with an equally high ceiling. And in 2018, despite his third-round pick status, he has a great opportunity to emerge as a top target for the Redskins. Here is his 2019 training camp profile.
Terry McLaurin’s 2018 season
McLaurin was a senior with the Ohio State Buckeyes last season, serving as part of an explosive receiving core that included himself, Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, Johnnie Dixon, and Chris Olave.
In his senior season, McLaurin notched career highs in all receiving categories. He only caught 35 balls over 12 games, but considering the congested nature of the Buckeyes offense, in terms of talent, it’s not a major concern.
Besides, with those catches, McLaurin logged 701 receiving yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns, averaging 20 yards per catch. He scored a touchdown on 31.4 percent of his receptions, and he carved out a niche as a very solid deep threat with some run-after-catch ability in the flats as well.
On top of his statistical exploits, McLaurin was also a two-time captain, including in his senior season, and he was a very effective gunner on special teams for the Buckeyes, showing his willingness and ability to perform a multitude of roles. His resume would only get him so far, but getting drafted on Day 2 is nothing to scoff at.
What Terry McLaurin must show at Redskins training camp
Much like his receiving group at Ohio State, McLaurin’s new position group is just as congested (and it might actually be similar talent-wise as well). The opportunity is there for the taking for someone to separate from the pack, and McLaurin has the physical traits, and the mental fortitude, to do so.
In training camp, McLaurin should take every opportunity to build on his mental understanding of the game, while also showing off his athletic traits. He has a very enticing skill set, but until he puts that on the field, the Redskins won’t have a reason to play him just yet.
For McLaurin, the job is simple. Control what you can control. Run with maximum vigor on routes. Be a force as a run blocker. Use laser focus to win contested catch battles. And play bigger than yourself.
McLaurin also has some chemistry with Dwayne Haskins that he can exploit. He’s already shown flashes of that chemistry with the Redskins’ first-round pick, and if he continues to boast that synergy, then the Redskins will have no choice but to put him on the field early and often. And in that scenario, he’ll have plenty of chances to let his talent shine on Sundays, all the same.
Terry McLaurin’s main competition at Redskins training camp
The Redskins have a fairly versatile receiving core, with several players who can fill multiple roles on a given notice. They’d be smart to move players around on a situational basis, and although Trey Quinn seems to be entrenched in the slot role as of now, he can be moved as well, and the boundary spots are wide open for receivers to earn meaningful snaps.
For McLaurin, the path to a premier role in the receiving core might not be a treacherous one. He already has the route running prowess to be effective wherever he goes. And competitor Josh Doctson is not guaranteed a large role in the offense in 2019; he’s said the writing is on the wall for his future in D.C., and the Redskins might not have the motivation to give him snaps while rookies wait for their own development.
Doctson is one of McLaurin’s main competitors, but there are also others who could factor into the starting equation on the outside, such as Kelvin Harmon, Paul Richardson, and Cam Sims. Harmon and Sims are different types of receivers from McLaurin, so using them in unison with McLaurin might be better than pitting them against each other. Richardson, however, is a fairly similar player to McLaurin; he uses his speed and twitch to win one-on-one matchups, and he has the size to win some contested battles, although injuries have often been a concern for him.
The best way for McLaurin to function in training camp isn’t to single out specific targets in the receiving battle. Instead, he should simply focus on putting his best product on the field, and showing chemistry with starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins. That way, McLaurin can ensure a role for himself, and on game day, based on the coming matchup, and the defense’s strengths and weaknesses, Jay Gruden and Kevin O’Connell can decide how they want to proceed.
2019 outlook for Redskins WR Terry McLaurin
McLaurin, in college, was known for his work ethic above his exceptional nuance, and for his ability to inspire as a leader over his athletic talent. As long as McLaurin continues to prioritize the foundational building blocks of a player in his development, then he’ll see himself quickly climb up the Redskins depth chart.
Although the chance is relatively slim, McLaurin has a chance to be the team’s No. 1 receiver coming autumn. He’s athletic, he’s smart, he’s consistent, he has history with Dwayne Haskins, and he’s always looking to better his game.
Of course, for all rookies, expectations should be tempered in their first seasons, so it would be brash to say that McLaurin will set the league on fire in 2019. But McLaurin has a chance to carve out an important role in the Redskins offense, and there’s a reasonable scenario where he emerges as the team’s top statistical pass catcher. A stat line of 70-900-8 isn’t out of the question, although a season resembling Jamison Crowder’s rookie year might be a more reasonable floor.
The Redskins receiving core is weak and unproven on paper, when juxtaposed with the rest of the league. But there are players on board who have the upside to challenge that perception, and help the Redskins offense find its pulse again. Terry McLaurin is one of them.