It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…
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Washington has had a lot of good luck in the middle and late rounds of the NFL draft over the past 11 years or so. Among the Day 2 & 3 draft picks that have worked out well, Terry McLaurin’s name stands out as a player with a strong national profile. This week, ESPN identified McLaurin as the biggest draft steal of the past decade for the Washington franchise.
McLaurin’s prestige among national analysts has continued to grow each year, so much so that ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid ranked him No. 29 on their list of top 50 draft steals of the past 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,” Miller wrote. “Yet McLaurin has eclipsed over 900 yards in each of his four seasons while becoming a top-tier deep threat for Washington.”
The 2019 draft class was an exceptional one for receivers. Aside from McLaurin, the list of wideouts taken that year includes DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown, Deebo Samuel, Darius Slayton, Marquise Brown and Hunter Renfrow.
As talented as that class is, few of those receivers have performed up to McLaurin’s standard. According to Pro Football Focus, Mclaurin ranks second in career offensive grades (79.9) and career receiving grade (83.0). Only Brown has a higher grade in both categories.
McLaurin is not necessarily known for getting yards after the catch like Brown or some of the other receivers in his class, but he is just as, if not more efficient. His DVOA last year was fifth among all receivers at 20%, which was significantly higher than Brown (10.8%) and Slayton (13.6%).
And in terms of yards, McLaurin is near the top among his fellow 2019 draft picks as well. He ranks second with 4,281 yards and third in receptions with 299.