Cat Scratch Reader
We’re down to single digits in our countdown towards the Carolina Panthers season opener. It’s now under a week away. With just days left, our countdown piece is focused on the player wearing the number 4 jersey: wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
As the second, and more highly regarded, first round pick at the wide receiver position in as many years, Tetairoa McMillan—“T-Mac,” not “Tet” per his preferences—already had a lot of pressure on his shoulders entering his rookie season. He was taken 8th overall by the Panthers in the 2025 NFL Draft and fans were immediately taken by his ability to catch seemingly anything. The former Arizona Wildcat looked like a human highlight reel coming out of college.
Now, the 6’4”, 220 lb wide receiver has more pressure than ever to step up as a number one wide receiver for a young quarterback who has a history of showing favoritism on the field. Since trading away Bryce Young’s former favorite target in Adam Thielen and then losing his second most reliable target from 2024 in Jalen Coker, the Panthers went from having an embarrassment of riches at the receiver position to having a ton of young, promising faces. T-Mac is at the front of that crowd of faces and all eyes are going to be on him come Sunday.
That’s a lot of escalating pressure on the 22-year old rookie. By all accounts he’s a calm and confident guy, but we’ll have to see how he plays in just four days.
