The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a state of flux at wide receiver, where future Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Evans is entering the twilight of his career and longtime running mate Chris Godwin could likely be headed elsewhere in free agency.
That means the Buccaneers are ripe for an infusion of talent at the position, where NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah projects they’ll select 6-foot-5, 210-pound Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft in his latest mock draft.
“McMillan could go earlier in Round 1, but Tampa Bay would be a perfect landing spot,” Jeremiah wrote on February 18. “Chris Godwin is due to become a free agent, and Mike Evans can’t play forever, can he?”
McMillan has the potential to be a game changer for whatever team he lands on. Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson compared him to Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins — 2 of the NFL’s very best at the position.
“Tetairoa McMillan is an uber-versatile and talented high-volume passing target suited to funnel the passing game through,” Parson wrote.
McMillan’s Dominant Run Through 2023 and 2024
While the Arizona Wildcats fell flat in 2024 by going from a preseason Top 25 team to finishing with a 4-8 record in their first season in the Big 12, McMillan was still unstoppable.
In 3 seasons with the Wildcats, McMillan had 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns, including consecutive seasons with at least 1,300 receiving yards in 2023 and 2024. McMillan was an All-Pac-12 pick in 2023 and an All-Big 12 pick and All-American in 2024.
“Possession receiver with the size and ball skills to create big wins deep,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about McMillan in his pre-draft profile. “He’s a linear route-runner who wears press coverage early and coasts too often on deep routes, but he has a feel for uncovering underneath and can play over the top of cornerbacks for easier jump-ball wins.”
Few wide receivers in college football history have had the kind of game McMillan had to kick off the 2024 season — 10 receptions for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 61-39 win over New Mexico.
McMillan Could Round Out WR Trio for Buccaneers
While the only way McMillan gets drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round is if the franchise loses Godwin in free agency, he would be the perfect player to round out the Buccaneers’ wide receiver corps alongside Evans and second-year wide receiver Jalen McMillan.
McMillan was a third round pick (No. 92 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft out of the University of Washington and started off slow but ended his rookie season playing his position as good as almost anyone in the NFL.
While McMillan’s rookie numbers of 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdown aren’t going to win him any awards, a closer look shows a player who could become a star in 2025. In the final 5 games of the regular season, McMillan had 24 receptions for 315 yards and 7 touchdowns.
McMillan’s streak of 5 consecutive games with a touchdown catch was also one of the longest streaks for a rookie wide receiver in NFL history.
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