Washington Redskins: Grading Terry McLaurin’s rookie season

Terry McLaurin may have been a third-round pick for the Washington Redskins but he played like a first-rounder. Grading out the receiver’s rookie season.

Due to trading back into the first round for pass rusher Montez Sweat, the Washington Redskins didn’t have a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. They did, however, have a third-rounder. And with that selection, they snatched up wide receiver Terry McLaurin out of Ohio State, pairing him with his college quarterback.

At the time, people were excited, but cautiously so. The Redskins have had issues with receivers in the past but McLaurin definitely had potential. And again, it also helped the perception of the pick that McLaurin was a Buckeyes teammate of Washington’s first pick, quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

So how did the wide receiver do in year one? Let’s go through his rookie season and grade him out.

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Entering the 2019 NFL season, there was a very glaring problem on the Washington Redskins.  Admittedly, they had a few but this might have been the biggest one. That problem was their wide receivers. Washington had few good players at the position and the big solution they came up with was drafting players in the third and sixth rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.

That actually worked. No, the Redskins aren’t completely set at wide receiver now. If things continue to progress how they did in 2019, however, they have a chance.

Either way, it’s certainly a lot better than it was a year ago. Entering 2019, it seemed like a given that Washington would need to draft a wide receiver this year. Now it’s not really nearly as big of a necessity. If they don’t spend big draft capital on it, no one would go crazy with anger. The main reason for this is McLaurin. A third-rounder is not expected to come in and be a star immediately. It took almost no time for the Redskins to realize what they had, though.

In fact, McLaurin did not even play in the preseason. Not because he was hurt but because McLaurin was set to be a special teams player to start — that plan was abandoned immediately. All because the Redskins realized they had a legitimate star.

In 2018, Washington had just absolutely abysmal numbers in the passing game. Jordan Reed led the team in receptions with 54. Josh Doctson led all receivers on the team with 44 receptions. Reed also led the team with 558 yards while Doctson was second with 532. No one had more than two receiving touchdowns. Seriously, those were the numbers.

McLaurin’s rookie year saw him reel in 58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. Not only is that more receptions than anyone on the team had in 2018 but it’s also more receiving yards and touchdowns than anyone had on the team in 2018 and  2017. In fact, his seven scores were tied for the most since Reed had 11 in 2015.

Oh, and did I mention McLaurin did that despite playing in just 14 games? If he played in 16 games, 1,000 yards was basically guaranteed.

Washington has a serious star on their hands. And he was starting to really hit a groove right near the end there. Uncoincidentally, that lined up perfect with when Haskins started looking great at quarterback. That could be a legitimately scary duo for a long time.

There is a lot to look at when it comes to grading McLaurin. The good news is it all leans in his favor. Okay, McLaurin is 24 years old. By the time the 2020 season rolls around, he’ll be 25. That is working against him as that’s old for a rookie. He’s clearly already polished, though, so it may also be to his advantage.

McLaurin was a third-rounder and played like a top-15 pick. There is a legitimate argument for him having the best rookie year from any wide receiver in 2019. We’ve also already been over the numbers. Then there’s the “eye test”.

McLaurin is a superb route runner. He has elite speed as well. Those two things help him get open and stay open. Meanwhile, he is 6-0, 210 pounds but can play bigger. He went up and made a few miraculous receptions and has surprising strength. Oh, and he makes plays like this:

I mean, there is nothing to say about that, other than “A+”. Funnily enough, that’s the grade McLaurin gets for his rookie season. Can you really argue against that?