Washington: Where does Terry McLaurin rank among NFL wide receivers?

Where does Washington star Terry McLaurin rank among NFL wide receivers?

When the Washington Football Team selected Terry McLaurin in the third round (76th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, it was considered a solid pick. The wide receiver looked like someone that could contribute early and become a nice piece.

By the end of his first year, the view on him changed. McLaurin was no longer a “possible contributor” or a “nice piece”; he was someone that could be a serious player in a legitimate offense. Maybe not the star but at least good enough to be one of the top talents on a team.

Halfway through year two and things have evolved once again. McLaurin is now an NFL star. He’s absolutely dominating. Through eight games, the wide receiver has 50 receptions for 692 yards and three touchdowns. That puts him on pace for an even 100 receptions with 1,384 yards and six touchdowns by the end of the season.

Those are superstar numbers. So let’s treat him like a superstar. Where exactly should McLaurin rank amongst NFL wide receivers?

Terry McLaurin may not have the national recognition of other players.

There is a problem here. Fans of the Washington Football Team will gladly tell anyone that will listen just how good Terry McLaurin is. It’s not the same on the outside though.

Yes, NFL fans know who the receiver is. And he does get a good amount of respect and love around the football world when it comes to fans. But do they really see just how good he is? Or is he just that good player on a bad team that they don’t really worry about because his team isn’t winning anything at the moment?

There are certain receivers that you have to give a clear nod over others. Julio Jones, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas get their own category. What about after those four though? Keenan Allen certainly does not always get the respect he deserves. Tyreek Hill is elite as well. That’s where it stops, however.

After those two groups, it is a free-for-all. And that is when we can start discussing where McLaurin fits in.

He does it all. He has athleticism, hands, range, and incredible YAC ability. Just look at Washington’s game against the New York Giants in Week 8. McLaurin had a superb catch near the sideline. As well as that great catch in traffic that then included multiple broken tackles and a speed burst for a 68-yard touchdown.

Does he rank above Mike Evans or Chris Godwin though? Or Stefon Diggs? What about teammates like DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, or Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods? Let’s break it down.

How does Terry McLaurin measure up against the best receivers in the NFL?

In the rest of the NFC East, McLaurin does not have that much competition. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team with receivers that could challenge him. That trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb is fantastic.

In the NFC North, you have to give Allen Robinson and Kenny Golladay their dues. The AFC North has Tyler Boyd, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Meanwhile, the AFC South has Brandin Cooks, T.Y. Hilton and A.J. Brown.

So, I have six receivers definitively ahead of Terry McLaurin at the moment. Jones, Adams, Hopkins, Thomas, Allen, and Hill. After that, we get into toss-up territory. You could make cases for a lot of those players. But what is the case for McLaurin? That’s the key part here.

Of course, there is that obvious talent that I mentioned earlier. However, that is something you can point out for a lot of players. There are plenty of incredibly talented athletes in the NFL. What about the attitude, though? Look no further than McLaurin’s recent unanimous selection as a team captain in Washington.

With Landon Collins going down, the players and coaches all voted for the second-year receiver to take the “C” on his jersey. He’s giving speeches, motivating players, performing on the field, and leading by example.

Then there’s the big one, the talent around him. No slight to anyone on the Washington offense, but let’s be serious. The biggest weapon outside of McLaurin is a rookie running back (Antonio Gibson) who has played over 50 percent of the offensive snaps in just two of the games so far.

Steven Sims Jr. has potential but has been injured. Speaking of injuries, Kelvin Harmon has not even played this year. Dontrelle Inman is a journeyman veteran. Cam Sims had a breakout game in Week 8, but still has nine career receptions.

Logan Thomas has had a nice season, setting a lot of personal highs already. However, he has some hand problems and he was a career-backup-tight-end-former-quarterback before this season. Meanwhile, the quarterback carousel has not been fun. So it’s not even like McLaurin has top talent throwing him the ball.

An argument a lot of people will make is that a player on a bad team is going to put up better stats because “someone has to do something”. That’s simply not true though. Frankly, you could argue that the opposite is true.

Defenses know to target McLaurin. The wide receiver is constantly getting major attention. He will see the top defensive backs or even get double covered just to try and stop him. Actually stopping him rarely happens, though.

The 25-year-old is a superstar. That much has been made clear. Where should he rank though? If he’s not in your top 10 wide receivers right now, he should be knocking on the door. For me, he’s firmly implanted in that group.

Give Terry McLaurin a little more time to grow and some steady quarterback play and the sky is the limit. Great route running, athleticism, hands, leadership, attitude — do I really need to keep going? He has it all. In Week 8 he gave the world another glimpse of his ridiculous talent. Now give him the respect he deserves.