Insiders: The case for Tetairoa McMillan to Seahawks at No. 18

Arizona star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is one of the more polarizing first-round prospects in this year’s NFL Draft class.

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Pro Football Focus’ most recent mock draft projects McMillan to go to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6 overall. On the other extreme, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has McMillan sliding all the way down to the Houston Texans at No. 25.

And some prognosticators – including NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter – have tabbed McMillan to the Seahawks at No. 18.

During an appearance Tuesday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid was asked for his view of McMillan. He has the Arizona wideout going No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys, but could certainly envision the Seahawks drafting him if he falls to No. 18. Reid has the next wideout off the board – Texas receiver Matthew Golden – going to Seattle instead.

“(McMillan) is one who it just depends on who you ask, honestly,” Reid said. “There’s a lot of mixed opinions about him. I personally am very high on him. He’s inside of my top 20 prospects. … I like the big-body stature that he has, the physicality and just the ability to play above the rim. I like receivers that are that size and really play to their size.”

After trading away star wideout DK Metcalf last month, the Seahawks could use another outside receiving threat to complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That’s why Reid has Seattle drafting Texas wideout Matthew Golden at No. 18.

But if McMillan is available, he certainly would fit that bill too. With his 6-foot-4, 219-pound frame, the Arizona star has a combination of length, body control and smooth athleticism that’s led most prognosticators to label him as the top receiving prospect in this year’s draft.

McMillan put up massive numbers at Arizona, where he totaled a school-record 3,423 receiving yards and 26 touchdown catches over his three-year college career.

In 2022, McMillan led all FBS true freshmen with 702 receiving yards and eight TD catches. In 2023, he ranked fifth in the FBS with 1,402 receiving yards and 10 TD catches. And as a first-team All-American this past fall, he ranked third in the FBS and first among the Power Four conferences with 1,319 receiving yards and eight TD catches.

“I think if either McMillan or Golden are there for them to take, I definitely think those could be a possibility,” Reid said. “Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a breakout season. You bring over Cooper Kupp this offseason. But they still need that other outside guy, in my opinion. And I believe both (McMillan and Golden) can play on the outside.

“You already have your slot player in JSN. So getting (quarterback) Sam Darnold some more weapons, I definitely think that would help them.”

A polarizing talent

One question about McMillan is his lack of top-end. At his pro day, his 40-yard dash was reportedly clocked between 4.46 and 4.53 seconds. That would have ranked anywhere between 21st and 31st out of the 39 receivers who ran at the NFL combine.

Another concern, as NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote on McMillan’s draft profile, is that the Arizona wideout “coasts too often on deep routes.”

But during an appearance earlier this month on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman pointed to a conversation with an opposing Big 12 defensive coordinator who faced McMillan. According to Feldman, that defensive coordinator thinks the coasting was a product of McMillan playing such a high volume of snaps and just needing a breather.

Feldman also mentioned a conversation with current UW Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch, who was Arizona’s head coach during McMillan’s first two years with the Wildcats.

Fisch had some pretty lofty praise for McMillan.

“Jedd Fisch, who’s spent a long time kicking around the NFL as an assistant and has seen some great players, he told me (McMillan) is the best athlete I’ve ever seen,” Feldman said. “That’s a pretty big statement. That’s not me saying this. This is a guy who has been on so many good staffs around so much elite talent.”

Those conversations, among others, prompted Feldman to tab McMillan to Seattle in his April 2 mock draft.

On the flip side, the second and third rounds of this year’s draft are projected to be a sweet spot for receiving talent. That could make it appealing for a team like the Seahawks to use their first-round pick on a position other than receiver.

But to Feldman, he thinks McMillan is one of those elite talents that’s too good to pass up on.

“I think when it comes to the draft process, I just think he’s too good to pass up, because I think the things he can do are pretty rare,” Feldman said.

Listen to the full conversation with ESPN’s Jordan Reid at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full conversation with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story.

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