Four years ago, the Carolina Panthers traded away wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears to move up for the No. 1 overall pick and quarterback Bryce Young. Almost two years ago, they gave their young signal-caller a new top target in the passing game.
Former Arizona wideout and No. 8 overall selection Tetairoa McMillan is one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. He's the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and one of the stars on Carolina's roster that is making preparations for a serious playoff push in 2026.
McMillan will be a major piece of it. As he's bigger, stronger, and more versatile than ever, his usage in the Panthers' offense makes him one of the team's most intriguing players under new offensive play-caller Brad Idzik.
Tetairoa McMillan is set for another productive year with the Carolina Panthers
Coming off a rookie season with 70 catches for 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, McMillan is looking for more. During the 2025 pre-draft process, I noted a few key areas the former Wildcats star needed to improve or grow early in his NFL career.
Those areas were his play strength, physicality at the catch point (especially last year with eight drops), and more consistent wins at the line of scrimmage. All of those flaws were issues as a rookie.
Now listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, McMillan has seemingly added more muscle to his frame while maintaining his speed and fluidity, making him a potential matchup nightmare for opposing defenses this season.
That could come to fruition quickly, as the Panthers and Idzik are expected to utilize McMillan in the slot more this season, adding a big target for Young when attacking the middle of the field. According to Next Gen Stats, McMillan had a higher catch rate in the slot last year (69.7 percent) compared to on the perimeter (54.2 percent).
As Young's No. 1 target and the go-to playmaker in the Panthers' offense, McMillan has already done the work to evolve into a more complete playmaker. Winning jump balls and contested catches would elevate his game to a new level.
Tetairoa McMillan is just scratching the surface of what he's capable of
The scary thing? He is still scratching the surface of what he could become.
Whether he lines up in the slot or as the X-receiver, McMillan opens things up for fellow pass-catchers Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette. If his role is expanded, Jimmy Horn Jr. could be in the mix as well.
The mixture of size, ball skills, separation, versatility, and athleticism makes McMillan the type of playmaker defenses have to spend a long time game-planning against.
When setting expectations this year, it is reasonable to believe he could have 80-90 catches, over 1,200 receiving yards, and at least eight touchdowns. With how aggressive I expect the Panthers to be as a passing offense, those numbers could be within reach.
McMillan is the one former draft prospect I'm happy I was proven wrong about. He has the potential to be a game changer for years to come in Carolina, and it wouldn't surprise me if he's discussed as one of the league's 10 best wideouts by the end of the year.
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