Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, who owns Pro Football Focus, posted his complete first round 2025 NFL Mock Draft to their YouTube channel last week. Collinsworth projects star Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan to be selected eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers.
McMillan is fourth overall and the top-ranked pure WR on the Pro Football Focus Big Board. Colorado cornerback/WR Travis Hunter is the top overall player on the Pro Football Focus Big Board. McMillan is the tallest WR among the players who Pro Football Focus projects in the first round at the position based on where they are on the big board.
Collinsworth discusses McMillan playing the X WR, which is where he played in the NFL. PFF lists McMillan as lining up 105 times in the slot and on 379 wide snaps during the 2024 season with Arizona. McMillan had 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024.
In 12 games, McMillan had 53 receptions for first downs, 32 for 15 or more yards and 16 for 25 or more. Collinsworth fairly brings up McMillan running a 4.6 40-yard dash. McMillan showed his ability to make big plays, finishing third nationally during the 2024 season with 13 receptions of 30 or more yards.
"He's this big, strong, classic X, 220 pounds, 10 inch hands... Do I think he'll win every jump ball? Do I think he's good catch and run, all those things. But at 4.6 (40-yard dash), does he have enough to scare defenses into rotating to him I don't think so...I think that if you get a 6'1 or 6'2 corner that's playing out on him, almost any NFL corner is going to be able to run with him. It's just a matter of he doesn't get overwhelmed from a size standpoint... he does so many things well and catches slants and strong hands and just knows how to run after the catch and all that kind of stuff ."Cris Collinsworth
Collinsworth went on to discuss the needs for Carolina entering the 2025 NFL Draft with his Pro Football Focus colleagues Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman. They all agreed that Carolina needs a lot of help defensively, but they need to significantly upgrade the offense for optics.
Carolina has 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and the 2023 first overall pick in the NFL Draft Bryce Young at quarterback. Xavier Legette, who was the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, led Carolina with 49 receptions for 497 yards and four TDs in 2024. McMillan would instantly be Carolina's best receiver.
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Adam Thielen was second on Carolina with 48 receptions and led the Panthers with 615 receiving yards and five TDs. Young has three more seasons before he becomes a free agent. Maximizing his time under the rookie contract is critical. McMillan would provide Young another young receiver.
McMillan will have to line up against far more cornerbacks with length in the NFL than he did in college. Hunter is one of only three CBs Collinsworth projects in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. McMillan had five receptions for 38 yards and no TDs as Arizona lost 34-7 to Colorado in 2024.
In a 34-31 Arizona win at Colorado in 2023, McMillan had nine receptions for 107 yards and one TD. Arizona had Jacob Cowing in 2023 to prevent teams from being able to double-team McMillan as often as they did during the 2024 season. The Carolina Panthers are a team that makes sense for McMillan in the 2025 NFL Draft.