Ohio State star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka likes to study the several former Buckeye wideouts who made the jump to the NFL, and the Washington Commanders' scariest offensive weapon is one of the players he's focused on for a while.

There's plenty of connections to draw between Egbuka, who ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranks as the third-best receiver in his class, and former Washington third-round pick Terry McLaurin. The two have similar frames -- McLaurin was 6 feet tall and 208 pounds at the combine in 2019, while Egbuka is currently listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds -- are strong route runners and have quick feet.

Both had strong finishes to their respective college careers, as McLaurin finished with 701 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2018 and Egbuka had 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. So, it makes sense that Egbuka has been watching film on McLaurin for the past couple of seasons. And he's a fan of what McLaurin brings to an offense.

"Terry's always one of the first examples [former Ohio State receivers coach and current offensive coordinator Brian] Hartline brings up when it comes to growing on the field," Egbuka said.

McLaurin, initially regarded as a rotational receiver who could have a role on special teams, has become one of Washington's most consistent and reliable players since they picked him with the 76th overall pick. He's the only receiver in franchise history to have five straight 1,000-yard seasons and has already moved himself to sixth in all-time receiving yards (he's 114 yards away from passing Ring of Fame member Bobby Mitchell for fifth on that list). He also hit 13 touchdowns in 2024, his first double-digit scoring campaign that broke a single-season franchise record.

But McLaurin wasn't always that dominant force. He had to convince former Ohio State head Urban Meyer that he deserved a scholarship. So, he followed Meyer's advice to catch 200 passes a day for two weeks to improve his hands and come back to the Buckeyes' next football camp. They would give him an offer based on his progress.

That's exactly what McLaurin did, and just as he promised, Meyer offered him a scholarship. Egbuka has heard that story before, and it has stuck with him as an example of how much work must be done to improve.

"He spent hours and hours and hours and thousands of reps on the jugs machine," Egbuka said. "And now he has one of the lowest drop rates in the entire NFL."

McLaurin's hands are now two of his biggest assets in the NFL. He led the league in contested catches last season, which has been typical for him since his rookie season. He's ranked in the top 15 of the category in five of the last six seasons.

Like McLaurin, Egbuka's reliability is a pivotal part of his skill set. He had 205 catches in his college career, which broke the school record held by K.J. Hill.

"Egbuka's baseball background shows up with his laser-focused ball-tracking and ability to make sudden adjustments to bring throws in for a safe landing," NFL.com's Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation of Egbuka. "He's not elusive or sudden after the catch but is competitive and can squeeze out additional yardage."

Egbuka has been connected to the Commanders, who have the 29th overall pick, by analysts in mock drafts, but his stock has risen throughout the process. Like the many Ohio State receivers who have preceded him, it appears that scouts and executives around the league believe Egbuka is primed to be another success story for the Buckeyes.

Thanks in part to watching players like McLaurin, he knows how hard he'll need to work to follow their example.

"He just shows us what it looks like and pioneered the way for us to be hard workers in that room," Egbuka said.