How the first round pick is going to fit in with Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and Adam Thielen
At long last, the First Round of the 2025 NFL Draft arrived and the Carolina Panthers have brought in their newest piece of the 2025 puzzle, and it’s a big one. The Panthers brain trust decided that enough assets were spent on defense in free agency and went offense selecting big bodied wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
For a team in desperate need of a receiver that can line up at the X, McMillan was too good to pass up. Yours truly called McMillan a “perfect fit” back in March and I meant it. The 6’4, 219 lb. receiver not only bring an extremely reliable contested catch and red zone element to the team, but also allows the other two young wide outs on the team to fall into their more natural positions. Not only can Xavier Legette get back to the Z and Jalen Coker settle into the slot once Adam Thielen finishes what many assume to be his last season, but each player has enough versatility to mix and match these roles to keep defenses on their toes.
Over the last two years, McMillan lead the FBS in receiving yards, first down receptions and catches of 20+ yards. In 2024 alone, McMillan broke 29 tackles after the catch which was the 3rd best mark for the year. For a Panthers team that was 30th in passing offense in 2024 with only a measly 187.5 yards per game, McMillan promises to bring the juice to an offense that looked stagnate on many occasions. Not many players in the NFL are able to pull in passes like this:
Oh my, TMac pic.twitter.com/mhIsXY8XGS
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) November 16, 2024
McMillan’s statistical profile has very few gaps when it comes to on-field production. PFF gave him an 85.8 total receiving grade and an 89.1 grade versus man coverage. In particular, McMillan’s success rate versus man coverage should be a big boon for the offense that had a hard time finding options when the opposing defense lined up to play press man.
Tetairoa McMillan’s #ReceptionPerception prospect profile is a fun one.
– 70.4% success rate vs. man coverage
– 81% success rate vs. zone
– 73.1% success rate vs. press (80th percentile)I thought McMillan did his best work in the intermediate area of the field when he built… pic.twitter.com/D1VhMKC5xq
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 25, 2025
While the aforementioned Thielen held his own at times versus man and in the redzone, the Panthers couldn’t go into the next season without finding a new threat. Head Coach (and offensive play caller) Dave Canales said earlier this offseason that the team wanted to add touchdown makers.
Well, consider that mission accomplished.