Redskins WR Terry McLaurin a special case for Pats’ secondary

FOXBORO — Rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin has added a vertical element to the Washington Redskins “West Coast” passing schemes.

The Redskins third-round pick (76th overall) in this year’s draft has been an impact player in coach Jay Gruden’s system. McLaurin will be a person of interest for the Patriots (4-0) when they engage the Redskins (0-4) on Sunday (1 p.m.) at FedEx Field.

“Jay (Gruden) does a nice job of creating vertical plays through play action and some of their core plays that come off of that,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “That looks like it’s the start of the West Coast passing but then it turns into a vertical game.”

In his first three games, McLaurin amassed 257 yards on 16 receptions for a 16.1 per catch average, a long of 69 and a team-high three touchdowns. McLaurin missed last Sunday’s 24-3 loss to the Giants with a hamstring problem and was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

McLaurin’s speed kicks in after he makes the grab. McLaurin is fourth in the NFL in yards after catch with 95.

“McLaurin gives them a lot of good speed out there,” said Belichick. “He can stretch the defense. He caught a couple of teams without post help and he’s made them pay. He’s probably their No. 1 deep threat.”

McLaurin built his NFL resume as a reliable option in coach Urban Meyer’s high-powered offense at Ohio State. There was even some talk he was on the Patriots radar prior to the draft. McLaurin and quarterback Dwayne Haskins, a Heisman Trophy finalist who was the Redskins first-round pick (15th overall), were a formidable combination for the Buckeyes last season. McLaurin caught 35 passes for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Gruden had limited expectations when the Redskins plucked McLaurin off the draft board on the second day. Gruden discovered early in the process that the Redskins landed a talented player with a lot of NFL upside.

“We figured he’d be a good backup guy to give us some speed and play special teams,” said Gruden during a conference call. “But when we got him in, from day one of OTA’s to rookie mini-camp we knew he was going to be a heck of a player.

“He does it all. He can run whatever route you want with speed. Underneath routes, he can block, he’s smart.”

McLaurin is a film study for the Patriots’ secondary as they game plan for the Redskins’ offense, which will be under the command of either Haskins of journeyman Case Keenum. But Patriots backup left cornerback J.C. Jackson had run-ins with McLaurin during his two years in the Big 10 at Maryland.

“I played against him when he was at Ohio State,” said Jackson. “He was a great football player, explosive and fast and quick.

“He was a playmaker. I played him man to man. I did pretty good.”

The “post help” Belichick believes McLaurin merits will likely be provided by safety Devin McCourty, who leads the NFL with four interceptions.

“He caught a deep one against Philly over the top and he has three touchdowns already,” said McCourty. “He is definitely a guy we have to be aware of throughout the field and even when they get into the red area.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2o0mcA1