The Carolina Panthers started their 2025 NFL Draft with a bang when they selected Arizona wide out Tetairoia McMillan with the eighth overall pick.
After the selection, reports began coming out that the young receiver had been out in California throwing with Panthers’ starting quarterback Bryce Young in the months leading up to the draft.
“We played against each other in high school, so we just kind’ve knew of each other,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to recently meet him, probably about a month ago for the first time at 3DQB in Cali. And I was fortunate enough, it was my first time ever, catching the ball from him and running routes for him. So I guess you could say we got a head-start on our chemistry.”
The Athletic’s Joseph Person reported that Bryce Young himself was leading the charge in the building for the six-foot-four pass catcher.
“Going into Mr. Morgan’s office, going into coach Canales’ office and really just sitting on the table for me and telling them, ‘Hey, man, we need to pick this guy,’” McMillan said. “Although I feel like I did what I needed to do to be in this position, I give credit to Bryce for vouching for me and ultimately for them taking a chance on me.”
McMillan Has A Lot Of Love In The Building
Some mock drafts had the receiver going as early as five to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while others had him out of the top 15 entirely. But Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan was as high as he could get on the lengthy wide out.
“I think he has really good play speed. The thing that pops off the tape about Tet is just how smooth he is, his body control, his ability to adjust to all types of throws,” Morgan said. “His catch radius and his hands are elite. He catches everything outside his frame, and he can win the jump ball down the field and in the red zone. He’s a guy that has 18 touchdowns the past two years, so he puts the ball in the end zone.”
Their offensive minded head coach Dave Canales thinks the receiver can be summed up in one word.
“The guy’s a baller,” Canales said. “There’s a simple way to look at it when you watch film. The ballers show up, they make plays in big moments and they’re always looking to do something special.”
Panthers End Draft With An Even 4/4 Split
The Panthers made a splash by using their most premium pick securing some help for their young quarterback. But in the second and third rounds, it was back to back edge rushers selected by Carolina.
Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen are the two SEC pass rushers who Todd McShay and Steve Muench are very high on.
The team went back to the offensive side of the ball, selecting Trevor Etienne, brother of Travis Etienne, in the fourth round.
The last day of the draft was wrapped up with the selections of a safety and a defensive tackle before drafting Notre Dame’s tight end and Shedeur Sanders’ former target, Jimmy Horn.
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