The Carolina Panthers looked fairly good last season. Were they perfect? No one is, but they do have something to build off of.
One of the many assets the Carolina Panthers have at their disposal is their breakout wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. McMillan has been listed in the NFL Top 100 players for 2026.
“Sometimes, as a rookie, you don’t know what you don’t know. Which is probably why when Tetairoa McMillan found out he’d made the Top 100 after his first season, clocking in at 87th overall, his first response was to brush it off,” Kassidy Hill wrote in a Carolina Panthers article.
“McMillan came to Charlotte to be great and make the Carolina Panthers great. The top 100 is just a by-product of that goal.”
T-Mac’s Reaction to Being Ranked 87th
There are over 1000 players in the NFL. Being ranked 87th should be no small feat. For Tetairoa McMillan, it’s nothing to be overly excited about.
“I feel like that’s regular,” McMillan said in the Carolina Panthers. “That’s regular. I mean, how many people are in the league?
“But I feel like top 100, that’s a lot of people. That’s how I think of it. That’s 99 other people that could be in there besides myself.”
McMillan was the the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft out of the University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona).
Tetairoa McMillan took home two year-end awards winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He is the first Carolina Panthers player to win the Rookie of the Year award since Cam Newton in 2011. According to Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the award was already a forgone conclusion.
“TMac, he was him,” Bryce Young is quoted as saying in Hill’s Article. “He was, he’s exactly who he’s been. He was elite; he’s a special player.”
McMillan will be a proven target for Bryce Young for years to come. Young threw for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and a 63.6 completion percentage.
Tetairoa McMillan’s 2025 Season
Tetairoa McMillan finished the season with 70 receptions for 1,014 yards. He scored seven touchdowns, which was the most receiving touchdowns by a rookie this season. McMillan started all 17 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2025.
“McMillan played 87.18 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps this season, the most amongst all five finalists, and was the only finalist to start all 17 regular-season games.” Kassidy Hill said in another Carolina Panthers article. “He was responsible for 20.18 percent of the offense’s production, the most of any non-quarterback finalist, making highlight-worthy plays and touchdowns to help send the Panthers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.”
“McMillan reached 100 receiving yards only twice, but he was consistently the most impactful receiver in Carolina’s offense and the player Bryce Young looked to when the Panthers needed a big play.” Bill Barnwell wrote in an ESPN article.
Tetairoa McMillan is just one of the few young stars that the Panthers look forward to developing. McMillan’s upside is tremendous as the Panthers may have found their number one wideout for the foreseeable future. The Panthers will look forward to see what he does in 2026.
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