Tetairoa McMillan
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Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
For the first 10 games of the regular season, one rookie has stood above the rest and that’s been Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver and first round pick Emeka Egbuka.
While Egbuka has seemed like a runaway pick for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year to this point, it’s safe to see he now has some competition.
Following Week 11, Egbuka was bumped out of the top spot among NFL rookie receiving leaders by an NFC South Division rival with Carolina Panthers wide receiver and first round pick Tetairoa McMillan, who now has 54 receptions for 748 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Egbuka has 45 receptions for 717 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“We can’t just say we’re giving the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy to Emeka Egbuka anymore,” ESPN’s Peter Schrager said on “Get Up” on November 20. “Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren or Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan might have something to say about that.”
One thing Egbuka, McMillan and Warren have in common, besides putting up big numbers, is that they’re all on teams who are in playoff contention. Both the Colts and Buccaneers are in first place in their divisions and the Panthers have a surprising, 6-5 record and are in second place in the NFC South behind Tampa Bay.
McMillan Rarest of NFL WR Prospects
The Panthers drafted a wide receiver in the first round for the second consecutive season when they selected McMillan at No. 8 overall after he was a 2-time All-American at the University of Arizona.
At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds with 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash, McMillan was one of 6 wide receivers or tight ends taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
In just 3 seasons at Arizona, McMillan had 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games.
“Unique build for the wide receiver position and rare movement skills for an athlete of his size,” CBS Sports NFL reporter Dan Schneier wrote in his pre-draft evaluation of McMillan. “While he has developed as a wide receiver from high school to college, there is more room for growth — specifically as a route runner — which should elate the NFL wide receivers coach who will get the chance to mold him.”
Buccaneers Went Against Experts to Draft Egbuka
NFL draft experts had it as a given the Buccaneers were going to take a defensive player in the first round of the 2025 draft — specifically an edge rusher — but Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht flipped the script and picked Egbuka, Ohio State’s career receptions leader, at No. 19 overall.
While Licht may have been thinking for the future, he may not have been thinking for the immediate future. Tampa Bay’s 3 starting wide receivers in 2025 — Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan — have been on the field for 6 out of a possible 30 games this season:
Evans missed 3 games with a hamstring injury then broke his collarbone upon his return in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.
Godwin has only played 2 games this season and hasn’t been on the field since re-injuring his fibula against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.
McMillan has yet to play this season after suffering a severe neck injury in the preseason.