Draft Analysis: Tetairoa McMillan

Height: 6’4″
Weight: 219 lb.
College: Arizona
Tape watched: Colorado, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Utah
NFL Comparison: Tee Higgins

Pros

Size

A true 6’4″ receiver that moves like McMillan is a rare breed. McMillan carries a decent frame at 219 pounds as well.

Route Running

McMillan showed great ability to swerve in and out of his horizontal route breaks. Tall receivers can struggle to lower their hips and turn sharply, but McMillan is fluid laterally. Maybe the greatest part of McMillan’s route running skill is his football IQ. He comes downhill for the quarterback on horizontal and down breaking routes. His ability to protect throws cannot be overstated. McMillan has a very adequate yards-per-route-run metric of 2.83 over two seasons.

McMillan does seem to struggle to break off of vertical routes on hitches and comeback routes. There were also several reps that McMillan took off, including plays he was the initial read. Teams expect a high motor on every play when spending their first-round pick.

A great summary of McMillan here. Separates at the top with physicality, bends back to the QB, then makes people miss.

Another great example of McMillan and how he reads defenses. He sees and senses the safety driving on his route and adjusts by working back to the quarterback.

Contested Catches

Converting 42 of 85 contested targets over his career, McMillan is a true above the rim player. He saw more contested targets than anyone else in college football over the last two seasons. McMillan should make an immediate impact in the redzone for an NFL team.

Production

Very few receivers produce more than 213 receptions, 3,423 yards, and 26 touchdowns in their college careers. Tet McMillan accomplished this in three collegiate seasons.

Release

Tetairoa McMillan vs West Virginia is a wide receiver release clinic. It didn’t matter what type of press coverage was thrown at McMillan, he dominated all of it. His jab steps cover so much ground that corners have to respect by adjusting in fear of losing a step. McMillan’s body control is superb for being a true 6’4″. I do think he can gain a lot through better utilization of his hands and arms.

Great use of hands by McMillan

Midline

Hands

McMillan is an above average hand-catcher. He attacks the ball with his arms outstretched and squeezes the ball with authority. He has great sideline awareness and tracks the football well over both shoulders. McMillan’s seven drops in 2024 are likely to be an outlier over the course of his career.

A pretty slick grab from Tet.

YAC

McMillan can be described as deceptively wiggly. He forced an incredible 29 missed tackles, good for 3rd most in the NCAA in 2024. With long legs that work well outside of his frame, he has a great jab step that can leave defenders running by him. McMillan has a decent ability to power through the initial tackle and gain extra yards.

Versatility

A 22% slot rate over the last two seasons is not an insignificant number for McMillan. He poses a serious matchup problem for opposing defenses with his size and athleticism if utilized from the slot.

Cons

Blocking

The high motor issues plague Tet McMillan in his blocking game, too. There are encouraging reps paired with ones that make you wince. He has shown the ability to set up a great technical block, and on the next play, resort to shoulder checking defenders who end up making the play.

Play Strength

McMillan doesn’t always play to what his 219-pound frame suggests. He is not overly physical through his routes, blocking, or during his releases. Defenders can get away with grabbing McMillan’s jersey, allowing them to stay in tight coverage. Rather than rely on holding calls, McMillan needs to be more physical and create better separation with his size.

Deep Speed

How many receivers in NFL history are over 6’3″ that stretch the field for offenses with their speed? McMillan’s draft stock appears to be taking a slight dip after reports of a low 4.5s 40-yard dash at his pro day, with the Arizona reported time of 4.48s.

To me, this simply checks the box that he is fast enough and aligns with his performance on tape. McMillan isn’t pure speed, but he does cover a lot of ground with long strides. He has plenty of ability to eat cushions and break open down field.

This is less about deep speed and more about the effort in the route. McMillan waits until the ball is thrown to start sprinting after it. Poor rep on a deep ball.

Overview

The breakout of Nico Collins in 2024 should give glimpses into what teams hope Tetairoa McMillan can become. McMillan has proven success dominating in college with true NFL size. He should have no problem contributing to a receiver needy team his rookie season.

Teams shouldn’t overthink McMillan. The blend of size, skill, and fluidness in his game should garner a top 10 pick in the NFL draft.