A Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2024, Arizona’s wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is one of the most dominant receivers in all of college football. A three-year contributor for the Arizona Wildcats, McMillan now looks to take his talents to the NFL, where he is surely to be one of if not the first receiver off the board.
Tetairoa McMillan’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’5″
- Weight: 212 pounds
- Position: Wide Receiver
- School: Arizona
- Current Year: Junior
McMillan’s Scouting Report
McMillan was born in Waimanalo, Hawaii, but moved to the Los Angeles area with his family early on in his youth. McMillan played high school football at Servite High School, a powerhouse football program in the Los Angeles area. McMillan also played basketball and volleyball as a high schooler, where he excelled due to his size and length.
McMillan was one of the highest-ranked players in his recruiting class and finished as a high four-star recruit. He had offers from nearly every big program in the country but ultimately chose Arizona partly because his high school quarterback Noah Fifita was also attending the school.
It didn’t take long for McMillan to make an impact with the Wildcats. He quickly became one of the team’s top targets as a true freshman and set the Arizona record for most receiving yards by a true freshman with 702.
McMillan really burst onto the scene 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 and was an All-American.
Rather than coming back for a fourth season, McMillan elected to put his name in for the 2025 NFL Draft pool, where he looks to become the next great receiver to enter the NFL from the collegiate ranks.
Strengths
- Large and strong hands to pluck the football out of the air
- Big and physical receiver who plays with the “my ball” attitude
- Outstanding ball skills to track the football and attack the ball in contested situations
- Excellent after the catch with the strength to break tackles but also has the agility to make defenders miss in the open field
- Fluid mover for a receiver with his size
- Instinctive receiver with a good feel for when to sit in zones and make himself available for his quarterback
Weaknesses
- Not a true deep threat as he lacks the third gear to separate vertically
- Takes his foot off the gas at times at the third level
- Struggles to consistently separate versus man coverage
McMillan’s Current Draft Projection and Summary
McMillan enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best receivers and overall players in the class. It is admittedly a weak receiver class compared to recent years, but McMillan would be highly regarded no matter what year he came out.
The Arizona product possesses very good size and overall athleticism for the position. He is a versatile receiver who can line up outside, in the slot, and even attached to the hip of the tight end all so he can maximize mismatches against nickel corners and linebackers.
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.
While McMillan has everything you would want in a big-bodied possession-type receiver, what sets him apart is that he actually has the athleticism of a receiver who is smaller in stature. McMillan is a smooth and fluid mover who gets out of his breaks with ease and doesn’t struggle to sink his hips and change direction, something bigger receivers usually struggle with.
Unlike most possession receivers, McMillan is outstanding with the ball in his hands — not just because he is strong and physical after the catch, which he is, but because he is sudden and has excellent instincts with the ball in his hands to make defenders miss.
McMillan is a very smart receiver who understands leverage and how to set up defenders throughout the route and he also understands how to find the soft spot in zones and make himself available for his quarterback.
There are a few concerns about McMillan’s projection as a No. 1 receiver at the next level, though the main one would be his lack of true deep speed. While he has sufficient speed for a receiver with his size, he lacks the third gear to consistently generate separation down the field in the NFL.
Additionally, he is not a receiver who excels in creating separation horizontally with sharp breaking cuts and usually relies on subtle push-offs and body positioning to create his separation. McMillan must also ensure that he runs every route with the same level of urgency as there are times he runs his routes without full effort, leading to his quarterback overthrowing him at times.
Overall, while McMillan may not have the speed to create home-run threats down the field, he does have the size, strength, and ball skills to be a high-volume target at the next level as well as a tremendous red-zone threat. His game is very reminiscent of Drake London, and I would be surprised if he isn’t the first receiver off the board come April.
