It seems like Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin never gets the respect he deserves through no fault of his own. All McLaurin does is go over 1,000 yards receiving every year — with a different quarterback — while Washington struggles.
In his five NFL seasons, McLaurin has gone over 1,000 yards receiving four consecutive seasons and just missed the mark in his rookie season by 81 yards. Unbelievably, McLaurin has played with 11 different quarterbacks in his career. Washington has had a different Week 1 starter each year of McLaurin’s career.
It’s often debated whether McLaurin is among the NFL’s 10 best wide receivers. Some include him on the list, while others do not. Why? While other receivers put up huge numbers, McLaurin’s numbers are often hampered by Washington’s quarterback woes and ineffective offensive schemes.
The Commanders believe they’ve finally found a franchise quarterback for McLaurin with Jayden Daniels. Could the combination of Daniels and McLaurin finally take McLaurin from underrated to elite?
Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports recently ranked his version of the top 20 receivers in the NFL. McLaurin did make the list. How high did he land?
McLaurin came in at No. 15.
McLaurin may be the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL. He is one of just six players to record 900+ receptions in each of his first five seasons, joining Hall of Fame talents such as Mike Evans, A.J. Green, Randy Moss and Jerry Rice, and he’s accomplished this with historic quarterback turnover. The Ohio State product has crossed 1,000 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons, and already ranks eighth in franchise history in receiving yards. If Jayden Daniels turns out to be a star quarterback, don’t be shocked if McLaurin explodes in 2024.
It certainly sounds like Dajani believes McLaurin could be much higher on the list if he found consistent quarterback play. If Daniels becomes the player Washington believes, McLaurin will benefit greatly in 2024 and beyond.