The Cincinnati Bengals are anticipated to lose star wide receiver Tee Higgins in free agency this offseason.
Whether it’s due to a lack of opportunity or money, Higgins is expected to suit up for a different organization next season which will leave quite the void in the wide receiver room behind triple-crown-winning superstar Ja’Marr Chase.
One way to address the gap in quarterback Joe Burrow’s weapon room is through the 2025 NFL Draft, and experts are already predicting the Bengals will land the top receiving threat, Tetairoa McMillan.
Bengals Predicted To Pick Tetairoa McMillan In 2025 NFL Draft
Higgins largely benefits from being a physical specimen, as he stands at 6’4″ and weighs 220 pounds. McMillan fits that mold at 6’5″ and 212 pounds, and NFL analyst Sam Farmer predicts he will indeed become Higgins’ replacement.
Farmer predicts the Bengals will be able to draft him as the 17th overall pick, explaining that they would prefer to keep their wide receiver room stacked amid uncertainty over Higgins’ future.
“The Bengals future of Tee Higgins is murky. Cincinnati needs to keep the cupboard stocked for Joe Burrow.”
McMillan is a big-bodied pass catcher with an outstanding catch radius and hands. He is a former basketball player and plays the game similar to a power forward, as he always knows how to position himself in front of the defender to get and win the football. McMillan has rare ball skills and is an outstanding contested catch and red-zone threat.
He rose to popularity as a true freshman in Arizona, setting the record for most receiving yards by a freshman, 702. But his most outstanding performance came as a sophomore when he earned All-American honors and finished with a remarkable 1,402 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. He continued his dominance as a junior, finishing as a Biletnikoff Award finalist with 84 receptions for 1319 yards and eight touchdowns.
PFSN’s Mock Draft Projection
In PFSN’s latest seven-round mock draft by Joe DeLeone, the Bengals are picking an edge rusher in Mykel Williams at No.17.
“While Cincinnati needs to add to its interior defensive line, they need someone more disruptive than Sam Hubbard rushing opposite Trey Hendrickson. Mykel Williams was a highly productive run defender at Georgia thanks to his bend and brute strength. He has the athletic traits to develop into a disruptive pass rusher as well in the NFL.”
Meanwhile, McMillan’s draft stock further falls low, and he is predicted to be picked at No.22 by the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Ladd McConkey was electric in his rookie season, but Quentin Johnston hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he was supposed to develop into. With no ties to the current front office and coaching staff, finding his replacement could be an early focus for the Chargers. Tetairoa McMillan’s contested catch dominance combined with McConkey’s slot elusiveness would make for a quality receiving core.”
