Tetairoa McMillan’s rookie year was strong enough to get him noticed by his peers, and now the Carolina Panthers wideout has cracked the NFL’s Top 100 list at No. 87.
The league’s offseason countdown is still rolling out, with players around the NFL voting on the best from last season. Carolina has now landed three names on the list so far: Bryce Young at No. 98, Derrick Brown at No. 90, and McMillan joining them on Tuesday after just one season in the league.
That kind of recognition makes sense after what McMillan put on tape in 2025. The No. 8 overall pick out of Arizona turned in 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns, a line that earned him AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik pointed to the way McMillan processes the game as a big reason the young receiver made such a quick jump.
"He plays around with leverage to DBs," explained offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. "He's playing the game within the game on his first year, and now you add that experience of playing in the NFL under his belt."
Idzik also singled out McMillan’s ability to absorb information and keep growing.
"Accelerated growth," Idzik answered to McMillan's greatest strength. "He came in, we joke about it, whatever his age is, he's going on 30, and he soaks up things like a sponge.
"He's a guy that I'll go to, to make sure that, 'Hey, how do you, how do you see the leverage you're playing on 3rd down? How do you see these coverages?' I look forward to going there now that he's got all the offensive terminology under his belt and then continuing to grow it.
Year two brings a different kind of test. McMillan is set to be the No. 1 option for Young, which means defenses will have more eyes on him and more reasons to game-plan around him. The challenge now is consistency, and the Panthers are betting big that he can handle it.
The NFL Top 100 series is being unveiled on X each weekday, with two player reveals per day through Friday, Aug. 21.
The top 10 will come later, one player at a time from Aug. 24 through Sept. 4.
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