Is this too high or too low for Tetairoa McMillan?
Carolina Panthers star Tetairoa McMillan was ranked the 27th-best WR in the NFL by Bleacher Report's scouting department.
McMillan is one spot ahead of Khalil Shakir of the Buffalo Bills and one spot behind Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts.
"The Carolina Panthers selected Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick in the draft, and he proved their decision to be correct," Bleacher Report wrote. "He caught 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. His route-running carried over from college, as he was successful at separating against man and zone coverage.
"McMillan consistently creates space with his route IQ and stems to manipulate defenders. The drops were frustrating. Passes ricocheted off his hands, which created potential turnovers. McMillan had a good start to a career, but plenty of room to improve with a top-10 ceiling."
McMillan won the 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He's expected to be even better in 2026 since he got stronger this offseason.
McMillan led all rookies last season in receiving yards (1,014), receiving yards per game (59.6) and touchdown receptions (seven) and ranked third in receptions (70). He broke the Panthers' franchise record for most receiving yards by a rookie.
McMillan caught 70 balls in 2025 for 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
In the Panthers' wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams, McMillan had five catches for 81 yards, showing off his skills on national TV.
Carolina made the playoffs last season for the first time since the 2017 campaign, and even though they lost to Los Angeles, Bryce Young and McMillan showed the NFL world they already have significant chemistry, which is scary for the rest of the league.
"Coming into the season and just coming into the league, I was pretty confident in my abilities and what I could do," McMillan said. "None of that was a surprise to me. I always try to strive to be the best possible player that I can be and I knew that stuff like Rookie of the Year and all that wasn't too far and I knew that I was capable of achieving those things."
McMillan finished last season at 205 pounds. Even though he had an incredible campaign, the youngster felt "weak" at times.
That's why McMillan focused on his diet and the weight room over the last few months.
"Just getting my strength and my power back," McMillan said. "I wasn't used to playing that small. I felt pretty weak. I didn't have my power back, so that was pretty much the main focus this offseason for me."
It will be fascinating to see how McMillan and the Panthers perform in 2026. They will no longer be under the radar after making the playoffs in 2025.
