Ask Farrell: Is Terry McLaurin getting too much hype?
Terry McLaurin had an excellent showing at the Senior Bowl, followed that up with a great performance at the NFL Scouting Combine and then finished with a strong Ohio State Pro Day.
Everything is trending McLaurin’s way heading into the NFL Draft later this month and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., now has the former four-star from Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral as the second receiver taken off the board in the first round after Ole Miss’ D.K. Metcalf.
“You combine the year he had with the big plays, the fact that he’s 6-feet, 208, and he runs 4.3, 4.35, great athletic ability, strong for his size,” Kiper said.
“What he can do taking the top off a defense, being a vertical threat, the consistency catching the football was there. McLaurin is an under-the-radar guy. You’re always looking for the next receiver after D.K. Metcalf and I’d say McLaurin because of Hollywood Brown’s injury, A.J. Brown is a slot guy, Parris Campbell really didn’t use that speed and translate it to the field as much as people thought he should of.”
That criticism of Campbell might be fair but this is also true: Campbell caught 65 more passes than McLaurin did last season and had 362 more receiving yards. In two seasons at Oklahoma, Brown had nearly double the receiving yards that McLaurin had in four at Ohio State. In three seasons at Ole Miss, Brown had 2,984 receiving yards compared with McLaurin, who finished with 1,251 at Ohio State.
Because he performed well at the Senior Bowl and some fell in love with him at the combine and pro day, is McLaurin becoming overrated heading into the NFL Draft? We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.
FARRELL'S TAKE
“He’s getting far too much hype. He’s a talented kid for sure, there’s no doubt about that, but when you watch the film and look at the productivity of some of the other receivers we are talking about, it’s ridiculous to consider McLaurin a first-rounder. Give me AJ Brown, N’Keal Harry, Hollywood Brown and some others over McLaurin for sure. I see him as a third-rounder at best.”
