Pats Pulpit
Scouting report for the Arizona wide receiver, who projects as a first-round pick in this year’s draft.
The New England Patriots made some investments at wide receiver this offseason while also retaining all of their top options at the position from a year ago. But while they do have plenty of players available, there is still a need to be filled: the Patriots lack a reliable, long-term option on the outside.
There are several players in this year’s draft fitting of that description, including previously-profiled Matthew Golden, Jayden Higgins, Tre Harris or Elic Ayomanor. All of them are potential targets for the Patriots, but so might be arguably the WR1 among them: Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
Name: Tetairoa McMillan
Position: Wide receiver
School: Arizona
Opening day age: 22 (4/5/2003)
Measurements: 6’4 1/8”, 219 lbs, 77 7/8” wingspan, 31 1/2” arm length, 10” hand size, 4.53s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Colleges: Arizona (2022-24)
Career statistics: 37 games (34 starts) | 2,292 offensive snaps, 24 special teams snaps | 341 targets, 213 catches (62.5%), 3,423 yards, 26 TDs | 4-of-5 pass attempts (80%), 43 yards, 1 TD | 1 kickoff return, 0 yards | 2 punt returns, 11 yards (5.5 yards /return) | 12 drops (3.5%), 2 fumbles
Accolades: First-team All-American (2024), First-team All-Big 12 (2024), Polynesian College Football Player of the Year (2024), Second-team All-Pac 12 (2023), Third-team All-American (2023)
A three-sport athlete at Servite High School in Anaheim, CA, McMillan also was a member of the Friars’ basketball and volleyball teams. On the football field, he was a highly-productive wide receiver who was named first-team all-state as both a junior and senior, and eventually rated a four-star recruit. As such, McMillan drew interest from several high-profile schools, eventually committing to Oregon.
However, he later flipped to Arizona and former Patriots assistant Jedd Fisch. Even though he spent only three years with the Wildcats, McMillan became one of the most productive receivers in school history. Appearing in 37 games with 34 starts, he is leaving Arizona ranked first all-time in receiving yards (3,423), third in touchdowns (26) and fourth in catches (213). Additionally, he was named to two All-American and All-Conference teams each.
Coming off an 84-1,319-8 campaign that saw him lead the Big 12 in receiving yards, McMillan decided to skip his senior season in Tucson to enter the NFL Draft. Appearing at the Scouting Combine, he met with the Patriots’ staff and later also took a visit to New England.
Expected round: 1 | Consensus big board: No. 10 | Patriots meeting: Combine + 30 visit
Strengths: Measuring over 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, McMillan is a tall and long wide receiver who knows how to take advantage of his physical attributes. He has some of the best ball skills in the entire class, combining a large set of hands with the proper length, hand-eye coordination and body control to high-point, shield off, contort and/or expand his catch radius to make...
