Terry McLaurin lets his actions speak for him, which could be part of the reason why he was somewhat under the radar coming out of college despite an impressive career at Ohio State. McLaurin quickly showed why Washington made him the 76th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Despite inconsistency at quarterback, McLaurin caught 58 passes for 919 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
Last season, despite missing a game due to injury, McLaurin caught 87 passes for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns. His performance helped Washington capture its first division crown since 2015. He’s off to a solid start this season, as his 11-catch, 107-yard one touchdown performance helped Washington get its first win of the season in Week 2 against the Giants. McLaurin also made headlines by making an acrobatic catch the previous week against the Chargers.
Along with his play on the field, McLaurin was selected as a team captain before the start of his second season. McLaurin takes his role as a team captain seriously, as he strives to set a positive example for his teammates on a daily basis.
McLaurin recently spoke with CBS Sports about being a team captain, having Colts season tickets growing up, and his goals for both himself and for the Washington franchise. McLaurin also spoke about his partnership with Team Milk and the importance milk (specifically, chocolate milk) plays in his life.
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You’re from Indianapolis, and the year you were born the Colts were a play away from being in the Super Bowl. Were you a Colts fan growing up?
“I was a big Colts fan growing up. My family and I had season tickets to the games, so I got to see a lot those great, historic wins and some losses against the Patriots growing up. It was tough seeing Tom Brady and guys like that come into that stadium and pull off some victories.”
Who was your favorite player back then?
“I was a really big Marvin Harrison fan growing up. I loved the way he played the game. I love the mentality he brought to playing receiver. He wasn’t a loud or boisterous guy, but he was always somebody that his teammates could count on. Nobody counted on him more than No. 18, Peyton Manning, who’s a Hall of Famer as we all know. Now that I see what it takes at this level, I can only imagine having the type of respect from a quarterback that Marvin Harrison had from Peyton Manning. You want that type of respect from your teammates and your coaches, but you also want to be respected by your opponents as well.
“I think Marvin Harrison was a guy who you knew what he could do at any given moment. He was always prepared for each and every game and he just made plays. He didn’t say too much, but he just made plays. I always respected the way he played the game and he was somebody I looked up to growing up.”
What did it mean to you to be named team captain so early in your career?
“I think being a captain is probably one of the top things that I hang my hat on as football player and a person. A lot of the other accolades are nice, but I think being a captain speaks to your character as a person and a player. Your teammates and coaches who are around you every day, they know the type of work and the consistency that you’re trying to put in every day. To be recognized as one of the leaders of your team, that’s something that I take great pride in, especially only being in my third year and I’ve already been a captain twice. I’m very fortunate to be one of the leaders of this team.
“I’ve always been a leader by example, but over the course of my career, both at Ohio State being a captain and in the NFL, I’ve also developed a vocal style as well. Just being able to try to help uphold the standard of what Coach Rivera is trying to set out for us and making sure that we’re all accountable to ourselves first and to each other second. You’re not perfect when you’re a captain, but you want to be the guy who others follow. I’m still learning and growing in that role, and I’ve learned from some great leaders so far as well.”
Who are some of the leaders who have set a good example for you to follow?
“My rookie year, I was very fortunate to have Adrian Peterson and Vernon Davis in my locker room. Case Keenum, Ryan Kerrigan. We’ve had some guys who have seen it all in the NFL, had played in big games, won MVPs and awards and done all types of cool things in this league.
“The No. 1 thing they always just told me is just having that routine and being consistent. Being the guy that your teammates can trust and depend on and being ready for your moment. And that’s something I always wanted to adhere to because they were doing it and they’ve been doing it for so long. Hopefully, I can play for as long as some of those guys have and have an impact like they’ve had. I’ve been really fortunate to learn from those guys. Jonathan Allen who is also a guy who I really admire his really his leadership style. Being around Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been great. He’s been around so many organizations and teams. … I think coach Rivera also does a really good job of leading our football team. The expectations are very clear.”
What’s your advice on being an effective leader?
“People go off what you do, not as much as what you say. We’ve all been on teams and work environments where the people who may be the loudest aren’t necessarily the greatest leaders and most productive people. I think it’s less about what you say and more about what you do. You have to lead by example. You have to be accountable, you’re on time, you handle your business.
“You’re not perfect, but there’s something a little bit different about you. You hold yourself to a different standard than maybe other people. … Your captaincy doesn’t start when you’re labeled a captain. It starts when you have these tough times. It’s easy to be a captain when we’re winning. It’s easy to be a captain and say all the good things when things are going great. But when we just got beat like we did in Buffalo, how do I as a leader first get better as myself as a wide receiver. … I think you also have to have that individual perspective on what I can do to get better to help us, but also understand what does my team need, what does my unit need to be more successful. … Guys who are honest, not afraid to have those tough conversations and are very dependable.”
What was it like to experience your first taste of team success in the NFL last season?
“I think it was great for our team to go through that adversity that we went through and come out on the other side stronger. To be able to win our division and make a playoff game when nobody seemed to really believe that we can do that. During last year with all the things that were going on, I think we just tried to compartmentalize, take a day-by-day approach and just see where we stacked up.
“I remember a lot during last year — It’s kind of similar to how a few of our first few games this year – we’re in most of those games. We’re competitive, and we just kind of had a mistake here or a letdown here or a missed opportunity there. In this league, you can’t afford to make too many of those because you can lose to anybody in any given Sunday. … Now that [last season] is in the past, we’re looking forward to this year and getting back on track this season.”
What are individual and team goals that you want to accomplish during your career?
“Obviously, I want to be a part of a Super Bowl winning team. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of championship-winning teams at pretty much every level that I’ve played football. So that would be just great to win that ultimate championship as an NFL player. Obviously, I have goals of making Pro Bowls and All-Pros and things like that. But I try not to look too far ahead and just kind of focus on where I’m at now.
“I feel like I’ve improved significantly over my first two years. I’m really trying to just continue to be the guy that my teammates can count on to make those big plays when we need them. On third down, being able to get open against the top defenders on the opposite team being the No. 1 receiver. … I’m working towards a lot of bigger goals, but I just try to take it one step at a time. Continue to hold myself accountable, try to make my weaknesses strengths and try to make plays when they present itself.”
What motivated you to join Team Milk and their initiative?
“It’s a really cool partnership. … Milk is something that, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really appreciated the benefits that is has past just strong bones and healthy teeth. The health benefits after workouts and competitions. To this day, I still drink chocolate milk after games and competition because I know how much it replenishes and refuels my body and repairs those broken-down muscles.”
How often to you drink milk?
“I’ll drink it for breakfast or I’ll drink it in the morning when I have breakfast at the facility. Definitely have some chocolate milk after any workouts that I have in the facility. And especially after the games, our nutritionist Jake brings them around to the team and I take one every time. Any time that I can do something that’s really benefitting my body; anytime that I can do something that’s really benefitting my body. If anyone who knows me knows how important it is to take care of my body and how much I believe in that.”
Was there a point in your career when you decided to take your nutrition more seriously?
“Growing up, at first I really didn’t care for milk. But as I got older and got more serious in athletics and competition, I started hearing from my coaches and certain training staffs how beneficial chocolate milk is to replenishing those muscles and those bones. I’ve always been a big believer in taking care of your body. Essentially, it’s our money maker in what I do. Although football in general is 100% injury – there’s a high chance you’ll probably be hurt at some point — there’s some preventative things that you can do, some proactive ways that you can fuel your body, can help your body recover quicker. You can replenish your body that will help you stay on the field that will help you be less resistant to your soft tissue injuries and things of that nature because you basically prepared your body for that type of high experience of contact.
“I will say to any young player or any person that it’s important to take care of your body, even if you’re not an athlete. It’s the only body that you have. The better you take care of it, the better it takes care of you.”
