The Washington Redskins knew they got a good one in the third round with Ohio State wideout Terry McLaurin.
But perhaps they didn’t know just how good.
It isn’t often a head coach admits he didn’t know how solid a prospect is, yet that’s what Jay Gruden did recently in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio while chatting about McLaurin:
“I didn’t know he was this good…he knows both outside positions, the special teams guys can’t get enough of him…I’m like hey, hold back on special teams. He has been actually one of our better players in camp.”
At first, McLaurin was tabbed as a likely centerpiece of special teams while other guys took reps with the first-team offense. But the deeper the Redskins get into camp, the more likely it seems they won’t be able to justify keeping McLaurin off the field.
The Redskins do have guys like Paul Richardson and Josh Doctson to work in at wideout and have stressed this is a spread-it-around attack where one wideout won’t distance himself from the others much.
But McLaurin’s versatility and speed make him a coach’s dream as a chess piece of sorts — never mind his built-in connection with Dwayne Haskins, should the competition at quarterback go that route.
And at this stage, thinking a third-round pick could have a bigger impact than expected is nothing but a good thing.
