Arizona ended its 2-year draft drought over the weekend, having three players selected for the first time since 2014. And it looks like that tally could be matched or surpassed a year from now.
Pro Football Focus has released a ‘way-too-early’ Top 50 for the 2025 NFL Draft, and three Wildcats made the cut.
The scouting and grading site ranks wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan as the No. 9 draft-eligible player for 2025, with cornerback Tacario Davis at No. 15 and offensive tackle Jonah Savaiinaea No. 30. That would put all three in 1st round territory, giving the Wildcats a chance at multiple picks in the opening round for the first time in school history.
T-Mac feels like the most surefire 1st round pick, assuming the “small procedure” he had last week after injuring his left foot in practice doesn’t end up being a big deal. PFF has him as the second receiver off the board, behind Missouri’s Luther Burden III at No. 7, saying this about T-Mac:
If you throw it McMillan’s way, there’s a very good chance he’ll come down with it. There are two main reasons for that. The first is that he presents a massive target to throw to at 6-foot-5, giving him a larger catch radius than anyone on this list. His 17 contested catches in 2023 were second among FBS receivers to only Rome Odunze. The second is that he also has excellent hands, finishing with the lowest drop rate among Power Five receivers with at least 100 targets this past season (2.1%).
Only Malik Nabers and Odunze finished with more receiving yards than McMillan this year in the Power Five (1,396), and those two were the only FBS receivers who had more receiving first downs/touchdowns than the Arizona sophomore (63). Both Nabers and Odunze are projected top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, a feat McMillan should accomplish in 2025 if he maintains this pace.
The UA has never had a receiver taken in the 1st round. Vance Johnson, who was a pass-catching running back at Arizona from 1981-84, went in the 2nd round in 1985.
Davis is the fourth-ranked cornerback on the list, putting him in contention to be Arizona’s first corner taken in the 1st round since Antoine Cason in 2008. He’s also technically still in the NCAA transfer portal, never withdrawing despite participating in the UA’s spring practices.
The first thing you notice about Davis is his freakish size at 6-foot-4. That length allows him to significantly bother receivers at the catch point. The sophomore posted a 27.8% forced incompletion rate in 2023, fifth among Power Five corners. In single coverage, Davis forced more incompletions (14) than he allowed catches (11). He moves very well for a corner his size which makes it very difficult for receivers to beat him.
Savaiinaea, who has played both guard and tackle for the UA, could give it back-to-back offensive linemen taken in the first round, following left tackle Jordan Morgan’s selection as the 25th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers on Thursday.
The other Big 12 players in PFF’s Top 50 are Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter (No. 10), Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (No. 13) and Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II (No. 21).