Carolina Panthers wideout Tetairoa McMillan is already experiencing the ups and downs of the NFL.
The rookie receiver was one of a few standouts from a particularly competitive outing of training camp on Wednesday. Head coach Dave Canales was asked about McMillan and his progress to this point.
“Just showing a lot of confidence and belief,” Canales replied. “He’s had some pretty bad plays throughout camp and he’s had some excellent plays. When you have a guy, he’s teaching me stuff about him that I don’t know, just looking at his character. When guys bounce back quickly, it speaks to their confidence. They know they’re good, ‘I’ll do it again, I’ll be good again.’ And that’s really powerful self-talk.”
McMillan has bounced back with that confidence a few times over the past week. The first notable instance came on Monday, when he beat starting cornerback Mike Jackson for a spectacular catch after the veteran got the better of him on Saturday.
He did it again on Wednesday, coming up with a handful of highlight-reel grabs following a drop in the 11-on-11 session.
Canales was later asked if there’s one common denominator in McMillan’s bad plays.
“I think it’s just been physical play,” Canales said. “Whether it’s Jaycee [Horn] or whether it’s Mike Jack or Corey Thornton, who’s having a great camp, Shemar’s [Bartholomew] been making plays, Akayleb Evans—there’s a really good competition in the corner room. And these guys are all big, they’re all over six feet, they’re all over 200 pounds. That’s a good recipe against big receivers.
“So he’s got his hands full every day and it’s bringing out the best in him and he improves. Today, I thought, was his best day of camp. He’s learning how to play that game, just continue to use his body.”
The 6-foot-4, 219-pounder was selected with the eighth overall pick of the 2025 draft. He used that body well at the University of Arizona, where he reeled in 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns over three seasons.
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