From the moment Tetairoa McMillan committed to Arizona, the expectations heaped on the highest-rated recruit in school history were through the roof. And somehow he exceeded them all.
The school’s career receiving yards leader helped turn around a program that had a 20-game losing streak in 2020-21 shortly before his arrival, getting the Wildcats to the Alamo Bowl two years later and beating Oklahoma to cap a 10-win season. And even during a massively disappointing 2024 campaign, when very little went right, T-Mac further established himself as the best pass catcher in college football.
And now he’s officially a first round NFL Draft pick, the 12th in school history.
McMillan was taken 8th overall by the Carolina Panthers. That’s tied for the second-highest a Wildcat has been drafted, highest since Chris Singleton went 8th to the New England Patriots in 1990.
Ricky Hunley went 7th to the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984.
THE PICK IS IN.
The @Panthers select @TMAC96795 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/LYtJwWkSKm
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 25, 2025
The 6-foot-5 McMillan finished his UA career with 3,423 receiving yards, topping the mark previously held by Bobby Wade. He had 213 receptions and scored 26 touchdowns, recording 11 games of 100-plus yards including a school-record 304 against New Mexico in the 2024 season opener.
A finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to college football’s top receiver, McMillan is one of 13 players in FBS history with multiple seasons with at least 80 receptions, 1,300 yards and eight TDs.
McMillan gives Arizona first round picks in consecutive drafts for the first time since 1999-2000. Offensive lineman Jordan Morgan went 25th to the Green Bay Packers last April.
Carolina, which went 5-12 last season, picked a UA alum for the first time in franchise history. The Panthers will pair McMillan with quarterback Bryce Young, who threw for 2,403 yards and 15 TDs in 12 starts last season.
The Panthers did not have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2024.