admin
The Carolina Panthers made Tetairoa McMillan the first full-time wide receiver off the board Thursday at the 2025 NFL Draft. They’ll be expecting a No. 1 wideout in return, for good reason.
McMillan was selected eighth overall at Lambeau Field on Thursday, ahead of every other wide receiver except for the one that plays another position. Colorado two-star Travis Hunter went second overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars after a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Advertisement
Despite some mildly diminished pre-draft hype, it’s not a surprise to see McMillan go early. He was fifth overall on Yahoo Sports’ final big board and the top wide receiver. He projects as a classic X-receiver, with big-time size at 6-foot-4, 219 pounds, strong route-running and hands that can regularly win 50-50 balls.
McMillan was a three-year standout at Arizona, breaking out as a freshman with 702 receiving yards and eight touchdowns and earning consensus All-America honors last year. He left the Wildcats as the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards.
The main knock against McMillan was his speed, though it’s not like he could be described as slow, just not a burner like, say, Matthew Golden of Texas. His tape shows more than adequate speed for a player of his size, but he declined to run the 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process.
Advertisement
McMillan loomed as a likely top-10 pick from the moment he declared for the draft and that came to pass Thursday. He’ll be joining a Panthers team with plenty of use for a young, dynamic wide receiver.
Featuring Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette at wideout, last year’s Carolina team ranked 30th in the NFL in passing yards. They haven’t added any notable receivers in free agency, so McMillan is on track to have plenty of opportunities catching passes from Bryce Young as a rookie.
#NFL #Draft #Panthers #Tetairoa #McMillan #fulltime #board #8th #pick
