Broncos Camp Buzzing About Undrafted Rookie RB
Although Javonte Williams' participation has been the primary running back storyline of Denver Broncos training camp thus far, undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin is finding his way into everyone's notebook, too.
Hailing from the small-school Youngstown State, the rather diminutive 5-foot-7, 187-pound McLaughlin has captured the attention of fan and media onlookers alike, but even more importantly, that of his head coach. At various points during the offseason, Sean Payton commented on the challenge of evaluating players without pads and how donning that football armor can change a player's momentum for better or worse.
In McLaughlin's case, donning pads on Monday for the first time seems to have only made him stand out more.
“He has a little burst, and there’s some toughness to him," Payton said on Monday. "When you put the pads on players for the first day, then you really get an appreciation of how they look in pads. It’s hard to measure that when they’re not in pads. Today was that day where you’re just looking around at everyone and how they carry the pads. It’ll be a good stretch for him, though. He’s a guy that it’s really important to.”
Payton has also taken notice of McLaughlin's dedication. The rookie is showing up to Centura Health Training Center before his head coach, and likely most, if not all, of his teammates, which reveals just how seriously the young back is taking his first NFL opportunity.
"He’s the first one here," Payton said. "I don’t know what time he gets here in the morning, but it’s pretty early. He’s a guy you root for. He’s shifty, and he has good change of direction. It’s funny."
Although the typical small-school critiques are applied to McLaughlin's collegiate body of work, even so, it's quite eye-popping. Over his last two seasons at Youngstown State, he totaled north of 3,000 yards rushing and receiving with 27 total touchdowns, and averaged 7.0 yards per rush and nearly 16 yards per reception in his final year.
Here's what Mile High Huddle's Luke Patterson wrote about McLaughlin after Day 5 of Broncos Camp.
McLaughlin has put together three straight practices showing his versatility and willingness to pound the rock.
The 22-year-old has frequently demonstrated his soft hands as a pass catcher from all three Broncos quarterbacks. On Monday, McLaughlin exploded for a touchdown in the run game during an inside handoff. Just a couple of plays later, the dodgy back showed a burst and an advanced level of vision on an outside zone run.
Sounds like a Payton prototype, eh? Darren Sproles was 5-foot-6 and 190 pounds. Like Sproles, McLaughlin is smallish, but he brings 4.4 speed to the table and is a good receiver out of the backfield.
If Phillip Lindsay's undrafted story serves as any lesson, it's that we should never judge a back by his measurements but rather by the size of his heart. Trust, McLaughlin's got heart.
McLaughlin's roster prospects are excellent if he stays healthy. Beyond Williams and Samaje Perine, the door is wide open when it comes to the running back depth chart.
McLaughlin is a name every Broncos fan should know. He's capitalizing on his opportunity thus far.
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