Commanders WR Terry McLaurin: Biggest Draft Steal for Washington?
Since being taken in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin has been a beacon of high-level production.
In three of his first four years, McLaurin has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards amid a revolving door at the quarterback position. He is now the leading man on offense, and one could argue, is in the upper echelon of receivers in the NFL.
Such has been his production since entering the league, ESPN has listed McLaurin as the 29th biggest draft steal of the last decade.
"Scary Terry has been terrorizing NFC East cornerbacks since falling to the Commanders at No. 76 overall based on concerns about a lack of production and whether the Ohio State scheme created his openings," ESPN writes. "Yet McLaurin has eclipsed over 900 yards in each of his four seasons while becoming a top-tier deep threat for Washington."
Is ESPN right?
Looking back at the 2019 Draft, in the first round Marquise Brown and N'Keal Harry were both selected, McLaurin has clearly had the better career thus far.
Then other notable receivers included Deebo Samuel (No. 36), A.J. Brown (No. 51), and D.K. Metcalf (No. 64), who were taken ahead of McLaurin, which any Commanders fan will say is about right.
But McLaurin's production has rivaled those above, which might come as a shock to many. McLaurin so far has 4,281 receiving yards, with Metcalf (4,218), Samuel (3,230), and Brown (4,491) all in the same ballpark.
With receiving touchdowns, it is important to remember that McLaurin hasn't had any quarterback of note throwing him the football. Metcalf (35 TDs), Brown (35 TDs), and Samuel (12 TDs), while McLaurin has 21 touchdowns, so there isn't a big gap.
"Scary Terry" has been a consistent contributor for Washington since being drafted, and his numbers stack up against some of the best receivers in his draft class, will of whom are deemed stars in the NFL, and that makes him a genuine draft steal.
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