According to Darin Gantt, Panthers GM Dan Morgan was locked in on selecting WR Tetaioa McMillan with the eighth overall pick, but also gave thought to trading with the Rams, who were also interested in the Arizona receiver.
Morgan wanted a “load of picks” in a pitch he made to the Rams, yet they declined, and Morgan was happy they did.
“It’s like if they want this, they’re going to have to go above and beyond, kind of like what they did to us last year when they gave us the two,” Morgan said, via Gantt. “That’s because I was convicted on our guy. I really don’t want to lose this player. But if we are going to lose the player, and it’s something that could potentially set us up for the future, if we get a load of picks out of them, then let’s explore it. But I didn’t really want to. I was kind of hoping that they would say no. So when they said no at the end, I was fine with it. I was actually like, ‘Sweet.'”
McMillan, 21, was a four-star recruit and the fourth-ranked receiver in the nation in the 2022 recruiting class out of California. He committed to the University of Arizona in December 2021 and enrolled a month later. McMillan was All-Big 12 first team in 2024 and All-Pac 12 second team in 2023, along with being a Biletnikoff Award Finalist in 2024.
The Panthers used the No. 8 overall pick in round one on McMillan. He’s projected to sign McMillan to a four-year, $27,887,104 contract that includes a $16,921,527 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2028.
In his collegiate career, McMillan appeared in 37 games over three seasons and caught 213 passes for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns.
