Panthers rookie WR Tetairoa McMillan: ‘I’m looking forward to bringing joy back’

Greg Auman

NFL Reporter

Selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona, All-American receiver Tetairoa McMillan is settling in with the Carolina Panthers as one of the more exciting rookies in this year’s class.

He’s already had a rookie minicamp to get his bearings in Charlotte, showed off his No. 4 jersey and started building a rapport with new teammates, especially third-year quarterback Bryce Young. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound receiver took a few minutes to talk with FOX Sports about how he’s preparing for his NFL debut and how much better the Panthers can be in 2025.

FOX Sports: You’ve signed on, if you will, with Sharpie, and got to put your autograph skills to full use at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event in Los Angeles. Have you perfected that NFL autograph already?

McMillan: I actually changed my signature once I got to the league. It kind of looks like a star.

FOX Sports: What was rookie minicamp like for you, to get that first taste of the NFL, even if it’s just against other rookies?

McMillan: I would definitely say that was a dope moment. That was probably one of the first times where it felt real. Going through the whole draft process the last four or five months, then finally getting to put on a jersey and go out to the practice field. It was a blessing. I’m just looking forward to competing vs. the defense and getting acclimated with the people in the building, my teammates, the coaches, as well as the playbook.

FOX Sports: What are your first impressions of your new head coach, Dave Canales?

McMillan: Man, I love him. I feel like I’m a little biased, just because he’s a Cali kid like me. Just the things that he’s done, his résumé, what he’s done with big X receivers, I can see myself in the offense that he runs, and I’m loving it so far. I’m trusting him and his plan that he has set for me and his team. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us.

FOX Sports: He worked with DK Metcalf in Seattle and then Mike Evans in Tampa, and now he has a big receiver in Carolina with you there. Have you watched much tape of those two to see how he worked with them in the past?

McMillan: We obviously go over install, and they have clips from Seattle and Tampa, and all those clips that he pulls up, he wants us to watch. He knows the different looks and different ways to run different concepts, but yes, I’m watcing a lot of those two the last couple days.

FOX Sports: You’ll hear people shorten your first name to “Tet.” What do you like to be called?

McMillan: People either call me T-Mac or Nalo (short for his hometown in Hawaii, Waimānalo). That’s where I’m from in Hawaii, kind of a thing that started with my boys in college, so I just roll with it.

Tetairoa McMillan led the nation with 1,319 receiving yards last season, earning All-America honors. (Photo by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

FOX Sports: When you look at other receivers in the league, are there guys you pattern yourself after, guys with similar body types or skill sets?

McMillan: There’s not anyone in particular that I watch, but I’m sure I’ll be watching a lot more DK Metcalf and Mike Evans in the near future, so I might as well get used to them.

FOX Sports: You picked No. 4 for your NFL jersey number, the same number you wore in high school in Anaheim and in college at Arizona. Is there any significance to the number?

McMillan: I started wearing it my sophomore year of high school. The first number I wanted was 11, but one of the seniors had it, so I just kind of went with 4, because it was the only option open. And you know, ever since then, I like to think of it as the number of me. It’s like a relationship — it’s been loyal to me and I’m going to try my best to stay loyal to No. 4. I’m going to take it as far as I possibly can.

McMillan posed with his No. 4 jersey at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event in mid-May. (Colin Young-Wolff/AP Content Services for NFLPA)

FOX Sports: You’ve joined a fairly young receiver room — Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker are second-year guys, Jimmy Horn is a rookie like you — but you also have veteran guys to help mentor the younger receivers.

McMillan: I like our room right now. We have a little bit of both, a lot of young receivers, but then we also have the oldest receiver in the league in Adam Thielen. He’s kind of that role model for us. He’s going on Year 13, and not too many people get to play 13 years in the league.

I’m just glad I got in a room where there’s a vet I can look up to and we can all look up to. There’s a lot of wisdom, a lot of knowledge that we’ve never experienced. … Him being a good influence and role model to all the receivers in the room, that’s a blessing for us.

FOX Sports: Are there other guys that you trained with in the draft process who are rookies around the league now going through the same things you are?

McMillan: I was training with Emeka (Egbuka, Bucs first-round pick), training with Ja’Corey (Brooks, now with the Commanders), and I trained with Elic Ayomanor, with the Titans. That was at Exos in Scottsdale, Arizona.

FOX Sports: Did you enjoy the whole draft process?

McMillan: Yeah, it’s a blessing. At the end of the day, not many people get to go through that process. It gets repetitive. There’s a lot of traveling. The frustrating part for me was just, I wanted to find out who, what jersey I get to put on, who I get to play for. I’m just happy that I found out, and happy that it’s here.

FOX Sports: I was looking at Carolina’s rookie receiving records, and they’re all within reach for you. The Panthers have had only one 1,000-yard rookie receiver, Kelvin Benjamin in 2014 — he had 1,008 yards. The rookie record for touchdowns is nine and is his as well, and the rookie record for catches is 80, from Christian McCaffrey in 2017. Would it mean something to you if you got any of those?

McMillan: Records are supposed to be broken. At the end of the day, I just want to do what the team needs me to do. I’m looking forward to winning a lot of games and bringing light and joy back to Bank of America Stadium, to the people of Charlotte. I’m ready just to have fun and get the show on the road.

FOX Sports: What would a successful season mean for Carolina this year? Two years ago, the Panthers were picking No. 1 overall to get Bryce. Last year they improved to five wins, and a lot of people think they can take another step forward with your help this year.

McMillan: I think there’s a lot of things that can happen with us. I think the future is super bright for this team. It’s my first time in the league, so I don’t know what a good team and what a bad team look like. I know that Bryce can be that guy at quarterback, I know we have a great O-line, I know our running back room is really solid, with Chuba (Hubbard) and Rico (Dowdle).

The receiver room, we’re young but we also have some savviness to us. And obviously, the defensive side of the ball, we’ve got some real good dudes, Jaycee (Horn) at corner. I’m looking forward to battles with him in practice. I think the sky’s the limit for us, especially offensively. I think the scheme we have, the offense we’re running, is legit, and we have the guys to go out and execute.

FOX Sports: What can you focus on between now and the start of your first NFL training camp in July?

McMillan: It’s just learning the playbook like the back of my hand, so I can just go out there and play free, play fast. I want to build a relationship with my teammates and coaches. These are the guys I’m going to play with, and specifically Bryce. He’s the guy who’s going to dictate my future. Being able to train with him and build that chemistry, that’s a must, for sure.

FOX Sports: You played against Bryce Young in high school in California?

McMillan: Man, he blew us up by 45 points.

FOX Sports: You just did the Rookie Premiere event in Los Angeles, which can mean signing a ton of rookie cards. Did they let you personalize any of the autographs?

McMillan: That was a dope experience. I think there were some where I put “KEEP POUNDING” and stuff like that.

FOX Sports: It’s been a whirlwind few months for you. What’s been your favorite part so far?

McMillan: Obviously, No. 1 is signing my rookie contract, for sure. I was fortunate to sign my first-ever NFL contract with a Sharpie S-Gel pen, and I’m looking forward to signing more autographs and more signatures, more contracts with my Sharpies.

Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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