April 8, 2026, 11:05 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
The predictions were in and the consensus was a certainty\u2014the Carolina Panthers<\/a> were going to select<\/a> Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Everyone knew it, and everyone agreed.<\/p>\n But somebody forgot to tell the Panthers’ front office.<\/p>\n Instead, Carolina threw a curveball in the first round, and took<\/a> University of Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. And despite the media’s certainty about Walker being the guy for the Panthers, there didn’t seem to be any real consideration of taking anyone other than McMillan.<\/p>\n Joe Person of The Athletic documented the team’s journey towards the talented pass catcher in an article on Tuesday<\/a>. He included a quote from executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis, who stated that general manager Dan Morgan locked in on McMillan months and months before the selection process:<\/p>\n “We watched his film several times. It was all very good. But Dan was very convicted, like way early, like late September. For me, I\u2019ll watch these guys and I\u2019ll give my opinion based on what I know and what I don\u2019t know. And usually what happens is you\u2019re convicted about a guy in September and then your conviction becomes a lot less in November and then you kind of settle in wherever he ends up (on the draft board) in the spring. And T-Mac didn\u2019t go that way.”<\/p>\n Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n McMillan made an impact almost instantly, posting 100 receiving yards<\/a> against the Arizona Cardinals in just his second regular-season game. He’d go on to finish with 70 catches for 1,014 yards (a rookie franchise record) and seven touchdowns en route to capturing<\/a> the organization’s first AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award since 2011.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, McMillan still needs to work on minimizing his drops\u2014as he had eight in 2025. But he’s displayed more than enough potential to be a regular Pro Bowler and the focal point of the Panthers’ passing offense for a long time to come.<\/p>\n