Tetairoa McMillan Projects as Elite Slot Receiver

Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is a challenging evaluation.

That’s because there’s a contrast between his highlights and his full body of work against a so-so schedule.

McMillan’s catch rate confirms his game film. He was targeted 135 times this season, and he caught 84 of those (62.2% catch rate). The inconsistencies show up in those 51 misses.

What’s even more thought-provoking is that the EXACT SAME INCONSISTENCIES that showed up in these 13 games ⎯also showed up in the eight games I evaluated on his 2023 film.

This is why it’s going to be critically important that McMillan ends up on a team that appreciates his strengths ⎯as well as his weaknesses.

Not a No. 1 receiver at the next level

McMillan is what he is.

He’s a methodical longer-strider (sometimes too methodical) with average football-playing speed that was illustrated when he couldn’t separate from college-level corners. Beyond that, another big issue is his ball-tracking skills. McMillan’s routes can become a little too sloppy, and he has trouble at times ending up where the ball is being thrown.

In other words, he’s unpolished.

This especially showed up when he went deep and occasionally could be seen mistiming his jumps going up with the corner to attempt to catch the pass.

McMillan’s deep game was just too inconsistent ⎯too undependable ⎯too unnatural-looking.

Possession receiver

It was a different story in the short-to-intermediate route level (0-19 yards). This is where McMillan looked like a fish in water.

He would be good as a No. 2 receiver on an NFL roster, but he’d be elite as a No. 3 working out of the slot. This is where he could play to his strengths and use his strong frame and athletic ability to box out smaller and “less talented” nickel corners. I could see him catching 100 passes a season working out of the slot. He’d be a mismatch anomaly. He also looked better at stretching the field in this role.

McMillan still can disappoint at times ⎯and drop one he should’ve had.

Should NFL teams be concerned?

Nobody is talking about this, so I will.

When McMillan plays for his new NFL team, he will have to develop chemistry with a new quarterback. That’s usually not a big deal for prospects, but it could be for McMillan because he’s been working with the same quarterback since eighth grade, Noah Fifita.

Now McMillan won’t have this bond, and his route running is built more upon an ‘instinctive connection with his best friend’ than a traditional route tree.

As McMillan said in this video, “I keep saying this, but he says it’s not a real thing, friendship intuition, we know each other’s going to do during the game. Nobody gets to do what we do. I don’t think anybody else in the country can say that they played with their best friend for I think it’s eight years.”

#4 Tetairoa McMillan 6-foot-5, 212 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2025 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by 97.5% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of April 14, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Dominant Possession Receiver = Tetairoa McMillan (2023: 8 games evaluated)

2024 game film evaluated: New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Kansas State, Utah, Texas Tech, BYU, Colorado, West Virginia, UCF, Houston, and ASU (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2024 stats: 84 catches for 1,319 yards (15.7 avg.), 8 TD, 78-long

Best fit: Broncos

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Raw target who destroys short-to-intermediate off-man and zone coverage. Jack-of-all-trades type. Plays at different gears. Strong hands. Tends to catch away from his body. Physical with corners. Can accelerate in and out of breaks. Twitchy at breakpoints. Sinks hips well for his size to change direction. Creative route runner. Excels at comebacks, slants, curls, outs, and crossing routes when he has leverage. Can work back to the ball to create even bigger throwing windows. Slight lapses of focus. Above average catch radius. Good YAC. Good balance. Not easy to bring down. Inconsistent on contested catches. Willing blocker.

Final words

McMillan fits best on a team that has a No. 1 receiver.

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.