Chicago Bears Draft Scout: Terry McLaurin
The Chicago Bears met with wide receiver Terry McLaurin at the Senior Bowl. How would he fit and will he be available when the Chicago Bears are picking?
The Chicago Bears met with Ohio State wide receiver Terry McLaurin at the Senior Bowl last week. McLaurin had a slow three seasons but blew up with the addition of Dwayne Haskins at quarterback. However, as a senior he put up over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns, making some noise in NFL circles.
How would McLaurin fit on the Chicago Bears and what does he bring to the table?
Strengths:
Averaging 20 yards per catch last season Terry McLaurin is a big play wide receiver. He has an adequate combination of size and speed and is a long strider who can break away when given space.
McLaurin is a strong ball tracker and times his strides well to catch passes and continue to run after the catch. The ability to take a slant to the house and take the top off with a deep ball makes him a viable threat in the NFL.
Weaknesses:
Terry McLaurin can go up and get it. However, when it comes to strengthening up and making tough catches in traffic, he becomes a much less consistent wide receiver. While McLaurin has speed in the open field he also can struggle with press coverage and getting off of the line of scrimmage clean.
McLaurin is an older wide receiver and while that comes with a more extended route tree, he is not quite a refined all around route runner.
Comparison: Chris Moore, Baltimore Ravens
Chris Moore is a Ravens wide receiver who went in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Over the past two seasons, he has 37 receptions with four going for touchdowns and an average of over 12 yards per catch.
Moore is a depth wide receiver, but when he is on the field he is going to stretch the field with the threat to score or move the chains on every play. He is not completely refined as a receiver but can extend the field, can run with the ball in his hands and can go up and get it.
Skinny:
Another comparison Bears fans can understand is Josh Bellamy. His inconsistent hands in traffic may be a bit better than hot and cold hands Bellamy brings. Still, both can stretch the field with speed. McLaurin does not have much special teams usage, but given his age, production and likely draft slot that will be something that will keep him in the NFL.
With Josh Bellamy being a free agent this offseason the Bears likely met with McLaurin to see what his abilities were on special teams.
He would fill the Bellamy role well, and being a senior he could step into the role immediately next year. McLaurin created some buzz at the Senior Bowl, but his game still is incomplete overall.
If McLaurin slipped into the middle rounds the Chicago Bears could certainly take a chance at getting a younger Bellamy replacement.