By Mike Kaye
The Carolina Panthers stayed put at No. 8 on Thursday and landed a talented wide receiver to help improve their 29th-ranked offense.
Using their first-round pick, the Panthers landed Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan on Day 1.
“We’re super excited about our eighth (overall) pick — getting Tet,” general manager Dan Morgan said. “He’s somebody that we really liked (and) thought he could really add a different dimension to our offense and just add another playmaker to the offensive side of the ball.
“Not only a great player, but he’s a great kid and somebody that (head coach Dave Canales) and I really value, so we’re excited to have him in the building and excited to get going with him.”
The 22-year-old playmaker was the second prospect at his position to be selected Thursday. Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter was selected second overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars following a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
McMillan, a Waimanalo, Hawaii, native, is coming off a three-year tenure with the Wildcats. During that stint, McMillan collected 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games.
McMillan enters a position room that features last year’s first-round pick Xavier Legette, plus Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker and David Moore. He will likely be positioned to start opposite Thielen and Legette. Regardless of how it shakes out in training camp, McMillan, at minimum, should be part of the plan to solve the lack of big plays in the passing game.
“Yeah, shoot, you’ve got like a basketball team going on right now,” Canales said. “There’s different attributes. Xavier, the power and speed he brings. Thielen’s craftsmanship. You saw Jalen Coker come on strong last year. Tet, all of a sudden, brings this really long, 6-foot-4 target to kind of round out the group. So, it’s a really cool group to think about.”
McMillan, who is known for his jump-ball ability, is 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds with arms longer than 31 inches. He has huge 10-inch hands, and he uses them to snag the ball out of the air and bully smaller defensive backs. While his speed has been knocked by evaluators, McMillan is a smooth route runner who can get open with his short-area quickness.
“I think he has really good play speed,” Morgan said. “I think 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, his catch radius, and his hands are elite. He catches everything outside of 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. Obviously, that’s something that we want to do.”
Legette, last year’s No. 32 pick, could be used in a complementary role with McMillan. Canales previously said that he thought Legette could blossom into a No. 1 wideout.
McMillan, who spent his teenage years in Southern California, is the fourth wideout the franchise has selected in the top 60 picks within the past five drafts.
The team selected Terrace Marshall (59th overall) in the second round of the 2021 draft, and took Jonathan Mingo (39th overall) in the 2023 selection process. Both players are no longer with the franchise, as Marshall was cut last summer after training camp and Mingo was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of his second season in Carolina.
The Panthers are hoping their latest two wideout selections, both of whom came with earlier picks in the past 12 months, will amount to significantly better returns.
“I love that,” Canales said about the pressure to develop high-pick wideouts. “I love for the pressure to be on us to utilize these guys with their talents and the unique abilities that they have to fit them into the core of our schemes, to continue to find out who we are and to find that identity in the pass game. And just from a team standpoint, just getting football players.
“Getting dawgs, getting playmakers, and we really feel like we got that in Tet.”
Last season, Legette caught 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns. His rookie season was marred by an uneven second half, which was hindered by hand and foot injuries. Legette underwent foot surgery earlier in the offseason, but he has already been photographed working out with his teammates during the first week of the offseason program.
With McMillan and Legette locked into rookie deals for the next few years, the Panthers will be able to develop a playmaking unit around third-year QB Bryce Young. Along with the young QB and his two wideout weapons, the Panthers’ offense also features running backs Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders and a returning offensive line that was one of the better units in football last season.
“Man, I think it’s going to be amazing,” McMillan said following his selection. “First things first, obviously, Bryce Young, the Cali-to-Cali connection, that immediately. And as well as the other receivers — Xavier, Adam Thielen, and I feel like our OC, Coach (Brad) Idzik, will definitely put it together. I know Coach Canales calls the plays. And I’m confident in them and they’re confident in me, and I’m just ready to take the Panthers to the next level.”
With two picks on Day 2 and six picks on Day 3, the Panthers are expected to heavily address their defense during the final two days of the draft.
Morgan, who fielded trade calls before his selection of McMillan, alluded to that strategy after declaring the team done for Day 1.
“We have eight picks left and our board has a lot of defensive guys on there as well,” Morgan said. “So it’s definitely not something we’re going to neglect.”
Below are the Panthers’ picks with round and order numbers:
▪ First round: Eighth overall (original pick): Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
▪ Second round: 57th overall (via Rams)
▪ Third round: 74th overall (original pick)
▪ Fourth round (2): 111th overall (original pick), 114th overall (via Cowboys)
▪ Fifth round (3): 140th overall (via Giants), 146th overall (original pick), 163rd overall pick (via Ravens)
▪ Sixth round (0): N/A
▪ Seventh round: 230th overall pick (via Cardinals)
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 9:06 PM.
Mike Kaye covers the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. He is a graduate of the University of North Florida.
