As Washington Football Team fans are painfully aware, Terry McLaurin has yet to make a Pro Bowl. There's a good chance that could change in Year 3.
McLaurin is off to a standout start yet again in his young career. He's currently 14th in the league with 735 receiving yards. He's caught 59% of his 91 targets and is projected to finish the season with 1,176 yards and eight touchdowns.
McLaurin might not be the flashiest player, but his consistency is starting to make people take notice that he is one of the best young receivers in the league. That's why you need to vote McLaurin to his first Pro Bowl, then check out his stats below and vote again.
"Terry's been reliable really every play," said offensive coordinator Scott Turner. "Nobody's perfect but he does an outstanding job of working to get better, doing what he's coached to do and then making the most out of the situations when his number is called up."
Despite getting more attention from defensive backs each season, McLaurin has steadily improved from his exceptional rookie performance in 2019. He shored up all of his individual stats in 2020 and finished with his first 1,000-yard season. McLaurin is set to surpass his career-highs yet again. He already has more 100-yard games (four) than he did in all of last season, and he is now tied with Randy Moss and Hakeem Nicks for sixth place all-time among receivers with 60+ yard games in their first 39 career games.
"I think he's a very deliberate player and I think he's grown in that regard coming into this year," said wide receivers coach Drew Terrell. "Just thinking about...things he has to work on, and he's continuing to get a feel for what his skillset is."
McLaurin's work on contested catches has received the most attention, and rightly so. He leads the league with 23; the next closest player has 14. It was an area that he identified as a weakness in college, and now his hard work is paying off.
"I think it's something I'm always constantly working on," McLaurin said after Washington's 27-21 win over the Carolina Panthers. "I just try to put myself in a position to make those plays. Be aggressive with my hands, trust them and come down with the play. It's exciting and I just hope I can continue to put the work in to make sure that it keeps continuing."
It's even more impressive considering that defensive backs know McLaurin is going to get the ball. He's seen the 10th-most targets in the NFL, and yet he somehow manages to work around single and double coverage. His yards per reception (13.6) are tied for the most among receivers with at least 90 targets.
Washington has dealt with injuries to key players at the receiver position, but McLaurin has managed to remain a constant for the offense and played at least 92% of the snaps in nine games.
So show some appreciation for McLaurin and vote him to his first Pro Bowl.
