CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than two-thirds of the way through his first season, we’ve finally found something Tetairoa McMillan can’t do: Assess himself fairly and accurately.
The Carolina Panthers wide receiver leads all NFL rookies in receptions and receiving yards and is on pace to break or threaten the franchise rookie records in both categories.
But when asked to give himself a grade at the 12-game mark, McMillan said: “I think it’s average, probably like a C-plus.”
Running back Rico Dowdle laughed when he heard about McMillan’s C-plus.
“He’s definitely hard on himself with that grade. He’s one of the top receivers in the league, definitely for more years to come,” Dowdle said. “Definitely think he’s being hard on himself, and that’s good. Always be hard on yourself. It makes you wanna work hard and continue to improve, and it makes you better.”
To be clear, McMillan has said that he’s his biggest critic, but also his biggest supporter. And when he met with reporters Wednesday, he was just two days removed from the Panthers’ 20-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
McMillan scored the Panthers’ lone touchdown against the Niners — a 29-yard catch in the third quarter after beating cornerback Renardo Green with a nice double move. But McMillan also had a pair of drops against San Francisco to push his season total to six, tied for sixth most in the league.
What a throw
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And that was still gnawing on him as the Panthers began preparing for this week’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’ve just gotta look it all the way in, stop trying to do too much,” he said. “I’m just as surprised as you are for dropping so many balls — and just routine catches. I’ve just gotta clean that up for sure.”
Outside of the drops, there’s little for McMillan to fix in what’s been a stellar rookie season for the No. 8 pick. As he continues to climb the Panthers’ rookie receiving charts, McMillan is the betting favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year, with better odds than Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Emeka Egbuka and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
But the 22-year-old McMillan talked more about helping the Panthers (6-6) claim a playoff spot than finishing as the OROY.
“Whatever comes, comes. But you don’t win any awards without a good team,” he said. “If you don’t win games, you can’t win any awards.”
McMillan was a first-team All-American at Arizona last year when he caught 84 passes for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns, but also had a career-high eight drops. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, won by Colorado’s Travis Hunter as the nation’s top receiver. Hunter, the No. 2 pick who also won the Heisman Trophy, sustained a season-ending knee injury in October.
McMillan has played in every game for the Panthers and shown an ability to get off press coverage and a willingness to help out as a blocker — two things critics questioned before the draft.
“I know a lot of people had concerns about him in the run game, whether he would do some of those things. He’s certainly made himself available to do some of the dirty work,” Panthers receivers coach Rob Moore said. “That’s a testament to him. I know his teammates respect that about him.”
But the Panthers drafted McMillan because of his receiving skills, in part due to the lobbying efforts of quarterback Bryce Young, who had a private passing workout with McMillan in Southern California before the draft.
Despite his 6-4, 219-pound frame and size-14 shoes, McMillan is a smooth route runner who moves like someone much smaller. While his natural talent can’t be ignored, McMillan also “stole a lot” from 49ers wideout Jacob Cowing, his Arizona teammate who’s 5-9 and 171 pounds.
“If you look at us, we’re completely opposite. He’s probably 5-9 on a good day. Little dude, but he moves really well. He has incredible routes, incredible speed, good with the ball in his hands,” McMillan said. “So every day in practice, I’d just watch what we did, and I’d try to steal a bunch of his moves and his movement, and I’d try to implement it into my game.”
McMillan showed off those slick moves on his touchdown against the 49ers, getting Green to bite on an outside fake before running past him on a post. McMillan spent some time perfecting that route, but also got help from Panthers coach and play caller Dave Canales.
“I feel like we set it up perfectly. We were running a lot of out-breaking routes,” McMillan said. “I tried to make a move to where he can bite on that out route, and I can go score on that post. And that’s what happened.”
Moore said McMillan also has good spatial awareness that helps him find the soft spots in zones. “He’s got a really high football IQ. He sees the coverages and has a good feel for spacing and being able to find those voids,” Moore said. “He does a really good job of that. And if you go back and look at his college tape, it’ll reflect that.”
Rookie receiving leaders
RKPLAYERTEAMRECYDSYPCTD
1
Panthers
56
783
14.0
5
2
Buccaneers
48
749
15.6
6
3
Colts
55
662
12.0
3
4
Chargers
37
507
13.7
2
5
Browns
48
462
9.6
2
The versatile skill set has led to one of the most productive seasons ever by a Panthers rookie. McMillan (56 catches for 783 yards) is third on the team’s rookie receptions list behind Christian McCaffrey (80) and Kelvin Benjamin (73). He’s also third in receiving yards among Panthers rookies behind Benjamin (1,008) and DJ Moore (788).
McMillan’s five touchdown receptions are one behind Egbuka among rookies, while his 21 explosive catches (16-plus yards) rank fourth among all players.
So yeah, as Dowdle suggested, T-Mac has been a little tough on himself.
“It’s hard for me because ever since high school, I’ve always been the guy. I’ve had much better seasons compared to now,” he said. “But I feel like I have a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of stuff I left on the table, and I feel like I’m a lot better than that.”
Grading the offensive rookies
The conversation with McMillan helped remind us we needed to grade the Panthers’ four offensive rookies, just as we did the four defensive rookies two weeks ago. Without further ado:
WR Tetairoa McMillan
Round: First (No. 8 pick)
Comment: Much has been made about the Panthers’ problems with their downfield passing. But McMillan has produced an explosive catch (16-plus yards) on 21.9 percent of his receptions. With a strong finish, McMillan could join Cam Newton as the only Panthers to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Grade: A-minus
RB/returner Trevor Etienne
Round: Fourth (114th pick)
Comment: With Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard ahead of him, it’s impossible to assess Etienne as a running back. As a returner, the brother of Travis Etienne has been solid but far from spectacular. Special teams coach Tracy Smith said Etienne’s catching skills have progressed, and he’s still developing as a runner.
Grade: C-plus
Mitchell Evans (84) has 11 receptions for 118 yards and two TDs this season. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)
TE Mitchell Evans
Round: Fifth (163rd pick)
Comment: Evans has only 11 catches. But two are touchdowns — one more than the combined total for Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jalen Coker. The Notre Dame product looks like the dependable possession receiver and red zone target the Panthers thought they were getting.
Grade: B
WR Jimmy Horn Jr.
Round: Sixth (208th pick)
Comment: Canales has tried to utilize Horn’s speed by making him the Panthers’ gadget guy. And it looked like Canales was on to something when Horn had a 34-yard catch and an 11-yard run in a Week 6 win over Dallas. But he’s only had seven touches (for 43 yards) in the six games since.
Grade: C
