Dominant Possession Receiver = Tetairoa McMillan

Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan grew on me the more I studied him.

I studied every snap he took in 2023, and by doing so, I came to appreciate him more for what and who he is rather than what he is not.

McMillan is what he is and I have learned from the past.

I undervalued (fourth-fifth round grade) Drake London when he came out. McMillan reminds me of this first-round 6-foot-4, 213-pound Falcons’ receiver who has posted back-to-back 72 and 69 catch seasons. McMillan also has some Amon St. Brown in him, another receiver who plays for the Lions. I feel I undervalued him with a fourth-round pre-draft grade. Granted St. Brown was taken in the fourth round, but he has had a heck of a start to his NFL career (90, 106, and 119 receptions the past three seasons).

Watching the film toward the end of my study, I could only think that McMillan looked like a possession receiver who would catch 90+ passes in a season at the next level.

Vice grips for hands

The first thing that jumped out at me on film was his strong hands. McMillan catches the ball away from his body.

He plucks the ball out of the air with authority.

Last season he had 90 receptions on 131 targets (68.7% catch rate).

When is McMillan at his best?

In the short-to-intermediate route range (0-19 yards).

This is where McMillan will make his mark in the NFL. Hence, the label, possession receiver. This is where he rips it up.

He’s a chain mover.

McMillan is a mismatch nightmare against smaller cornerbacks. He’s a headache on any kind of route where he can use that big strong frame to box out those smaller corners after he plucks the ball out of the air. It’s for this reason he excels in picking up additional yardage after catching short bubble screens and sometimes after receptions further downfield.

He’s dominant against zone coverage (defensive backs have coverage responsibility in certain areas of the field as opposed to being matched up against specific receivers).

Raw

The scary part about McMillan is that he looks raw. He looks out of position on some deeper routes and his routes can look sloppy and undefined at times.

He’s inconsistent high-pointing (outjumping cornerbacks) for deep passes and he’s inconsistent on other contested passes (fighting cornerbacks for passes and coming up with the catch).

He’s gotten this far on natural God-given talent. He should only get better with a good receivers coach in the NFL.

The big thing that’s holding him back

Average football speed.

McMillan struggles to create vertical separation. He’s not blowing the doors off college secondaries.

He made great deep catches against tight coverage ⎯one against USC and one against Oklahoma. However, this wasn’t the norm, it was the exception.

#4 Tetairoa McMillan 6-foot-5, 210 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 92.3% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of September 6, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: Washington, USC, Oregon State, UCLA, Colorado, Utah, ASU, and Oklahoma (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

An athletic receiver who lines up out wide or in the slot and has sort of a jack-of-all-trades feel. Can come out of the backfield and he threw a touchdown pass. Releases with authority. Smooth strider. Knack for big moments. Flare for the dramatic. Confident catcher. Most productive catching between the numbers. This is his domain. Draws his fair share of double coverage. Can get a little lazy with his route running when he’s the intended receiver and when he’s not. His deep game needs work. Decent competitiveness blocking on pass and run plays. Somewhat willing.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season?

1. What does his deep game look like?

2. Is he creating separation on vertical routes versus man coverage?

3. Routes look defined or not?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.