Tetairoa McMillan has provided the Carolina Panthers with something they haven't had for a long time. The wide receiver is a sensational playmaker with a flair for the extravagant, and the offense boasts a dynamic entirely different when it's firing on all cylinders.
McMillan was the correct choice at No. 8 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Panthers were widely projected to take a blue-chip defensive prospect, but general manager Dan Morgan knew how much the former Arizona standout could change the mindset. Not for the first time during his tenure in the front office, he's been proven right.
The wideout is well on course for 1,000 receiving yards. McMillan is firmly in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation, but the first-year pro is more interested in the team's progress after their bye week.
Tetairoa McMillan is calling on Carolina Panthers to be more consistent
He knows what more is needed. McMillan wants the Panthers to improve their consistency. He wants his teammates to keep elevating each other on their rollercoaster ride to contention. If those objectives are accomplished, everything else should take care of itself.
"Just be consistent and continue to elevate. I feel like we’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows right now. So we just got to learn how to be consistent and stack days, and just elevate. Obviously, I want to win as much as I possibly can. But you can’t win any awards if your team’s not winning games. So the main focus is just to win as much games as far as, obviously we want to make the playoffs and we want to win the division, so just continue to stack days and get better."Tetairoa McMillan via On3
This is a fair assessment. The Panthers are not the finished article just yet. They have beaten some top playoff contenders this season, but they have also fallen short whenever favored. It's a growing process for everyone, but the progress being made represents a tremendous building block in the coming years.
McMillian will be at the heart of everything good coming Carolina's way. He's on the fast track to superstardom, and some fans are speculating whether he could become a franchise great when it's all said and done. It's early days, of course, but this growing praise is a testament to how well he's adapted.
Don't let the quiet smile or rookie shyness fool you; McMillan is ultra-competitive and evolving as a leader. And if the Panthers do make the playoffs, perhaps some individual accolades won't be too far behind.