Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Arizona | 2025 Draft Eligible
High School
In high school, McMillan was a two-way player on the football field, playing wide receiver and defensive back. On the offensive side, McMillan hauled 179 receptions, 2,640 yards, and 34 touchdowns over three varsity seasons for Servite High School in California. As a senior in 2021, McMillan was named the Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.
McMillan was a 4-star recruit, according to ESPN, ranked as the 19th WR in the country and the 11th overall prospect in California. Tetairoa had a long list of Power 5 schools offering him a scholarship, including in-state schools like USC, UCLA, and Cal. However, McMillan elected to play for the Wildcats of Arizona and HC Jedd Fisch, who has done an unbelievable job turning the football program around in just three short years. The Wildcats football team was a bottom-feeder in the Pac 12 in recent years but has been quite competitive under Fisch in 2023, sitting at 9-3 on the year and recording big wins over Oregon State, Utah, and UCLA.
Arizona (2022-Present)
McMillan had a productive freshman campaign in Tucson, averaging 3.5 receptions and 64 receiving YPG through 11 contests, finding the endzone eight times as well. The Wildcats improved upon their dismal 1-11 finish in 2021 with a 5-7 finish in 2022.
According to Fantrax, McMillan has 120 targets through 12 games this year (10 targets/gm), which is good for a target share of 28.2%. On those 120 targets, McMillan has 80 receptions, 1,242 receiving yards, and ten touchdowns in 2023.
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Amongst all FBS schools, McMillan is 11th in the nation in targets, 16th in receptions, 8th in receiving yards, 8th in receiving yards per game (RY/G), and 14th in receiving touchdowns. He’s producing at the same clip that Luther Burden (Missouri) is, and he deserves to be placed in the top tier of 2025 WRs with Burden and Evan Stewart. In my opinion, McMillan is now a tier above Barion Brown, who has taken a step back in Year 2 at Kentucky.
McMillan has already earned WR1 honors at Arizona as a sophomore, nearly matching senior Jacob Cowing’s receptions total and almost doubling his receiving yards total. I think we could realistically see a 100-reception, 1,500-yard season out of this kid as a junior. He will be asked to carry this passing attack in Year 3.
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Strengths/Weaknesses
Tetairoa has your ideal X-receiver build that NFL scouts are looking for, listed at 6’5″ and 210 lbs. His teammates rave about his sheer athleticism, saying there’s not a single sport McMillan has tried that he wasn’t good at. While at Servite High School in Southern California, McMillan was a 3-sport athlete, playing football, basketball, and volleyball.
According to 247 Sports, McMillan is a polished route runner who displays excellent body control and soft hands. He’s great in contested-catch situations and can jump over smaller DBs and high-point the football with ease. He doesn’t have elite speed or quickness, which he’ll need to work on if he wants to be a deep threat against NFL DBs. Still, his smooth route running and athleticism make up for this.
Draft Projections
McMillan is listed as a projected 2nd round draft pick on NFL Mock Draft Database, but this is based on a small sample of mocks since the 2025 Draft is still quite a way out. I think McMillan is the WR3 in this draft class at worst and can make a case to be the WR2 or even WR1 over Burden and Stewart if he improves upon his sophomore-year numbers next season. This 2025 WR class doesn’t have the high-end talent or the depth that the 2024 class has, so I expect far fewer WRs to be called on Day 1 in 2025. That said, McMillan could certainly be one of those few names. Considering his build, athleticism, and production, I can’t imagine him falling past the first 50 picks of the draft.
Dynasty/Devy Value
In existing Devy leagues, McMillan is an excellent target in Round 1 of Devy/rookie drafts, assuming he is not already rostered. I believe he is safely a late-first-round pick in Dynasty rookie drafts in 2025, and I could see him going as early as the mid-first round. Barring any significant injury, McMillan should continue to accrue value over the next 18 months. I don’t see this guy disappointing from a production perspective in 2024; he’s too talented a player and should have even less competition when Cowing graduates. If you’re joining a Devy startup this offseason, I’d be comfortable grabbing McMillan as early as the 2nd round of Superflex Devy drafts, assuming all college players are eligible for selection. Keep tabs on this kid; he’s going to be special.
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