TEMPE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats sits on the bench during the second half of the NCAAF game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Tempe, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils 59-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Tetairoa McMillan Lacks What It Takes

July 29, 2024 | Rajvir Bal | Articles

Reading Time: 3 minutes

First-Round Mock’s Rajvir Bal has taken a look at Arizona wide receiver (WR) Tetairoa McMillan and formed an unpopular conclusion.

TUCSON, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 28: Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Arizona Wildcats runs during the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Arizona Stadium on October 28, 2023 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Beavers 27-24. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

As we slowly inch closer to the upcoming College Football season, hype trains and mainstream narratives are starting to form.

One of the biggest ones starting to shape is that of the Arizona Wildcats.

The connection between the Wildcats’ quarterback Noah Fifita and their wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has the team’s fanbase optimistic.

Let’s take a look at the latter of that duo and get into his evaluation.

Background

McMillan was a 4-star prospect out of high school (per 247 Sports). In this report, it was stated that in high school he was a ‘standout basketball and volleyball player and uses his jumping ability to routinely win jump ball battles down the field or in the red zone.’ This prospect committed to Arizona in December of 2021.

This has been his production thus far:

2022

39 receptions
82 targets (47.5% catch rate)
702 yards (18.0 avg.)
Eight touchdowns

2023

90 receptions
131 targets (68.7% catch rate)
1,402 yards (15.6 avg.)
10 touchdowns

McMillan measures in the 94th percentile for height and 71st for weight (per NFLDraftBuzz).

#4 Tetairoa McMillan 6-foot-5, 210 pounds
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: (Early) Fourth-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 88.7% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of July 29, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film reviewed: UCLA, Utah, Washington, USC, and
Washington State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

The Good

McMillan excels in one particular area on the film. He is a monster over the middle and reminds me of former Saints WR Michael Thomas (2016 second-round selection New Orleans Saints) in that department. He constantly uses his size to muscle his way in front of defenders on slants and crossing routes. This allows him to catch contested balls when the coverage is tight. Once the ball gets into his hands, he is great at maneuvering around defenders in the open field. This shiftiness is a rare and special trait for as wideout his size. His head is always up, and he is constantly looking for the ball to be delivered to him. A fun fact about McMillan is that Arizona runs many trick plays through him, and he even threw for a touchdown against Utah.

The Bad

One of the most important factors I have when evaluating receivers is game-changing ability. Simply put, that is not an ability McMillan possesses. McMillan fails to draw the defense to him because they know he does not have the talent to truly impact the game at a large level. He is often unable to get open and has a sub-par route tree. If he can’t dominate at the college level, how will he fare in the NFL where defenses are bigger, faster, and stronger defensive backs? McMillan also lacks the speed top NFL receivers often have. He was often targeted deep in games but rarely capitalized on it. Despite his size, he didn’t dominate smaller defensive backs in these situations. On film, in his overall body of work, he looks like a run-of-the-mill backup receiver.

Final Thoughts For Now

McMillan does not have the natural ability or learned skills to be a significant chess piece in the NFL. Sure, he can make a roster and he has the skills to be on the field. However, he is not good enough for a team to invest a day-one or even day-two pick.

McMillan seems like a solid NFL WR4 on film.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.