Midway through his first NFL season, Tetairoa McMillan has established himself as a key player for the Carolina Panthers. With 37 receptions for 512 yards, McMillan ranks second among rookie receivers in the league, trailing only Emeka Egbuka of Tampa Bay. His yardage also places him 11th overall among all NFL receivers this season.
Historically, McMillan is on track to finish in the Top 15 for rookie receiver performances since the NFL’s 1970 merger. Despite these achievements, McMillan described his performance so far as “average.”
“Obviously, everybody feels like they could play better,” said McMillan. “I definitely had a lot of missed opportunities out there that I left on the table, so hopefully in the second half of the season, I can make those plays.”
When asked what he wanted to improve most in the remainder of the season, McMillan emphasized team success over personal statistics.
“Win more games,” he said. “That’s the main thing.”
The Panthers will face a significant test Sunday against the NFC-leading Packers. The game will mark a return to where McMillan was drafted eighth overall earlier this year.
“I was fortunate in that the draft this past year was in at that stadium, so I was fortunate enough to be over there,” said McMillan about returning to play at that venue. “So going back, that’s going to be a blessing for sure.”
Off the field, McMillan reflected on experiences such as visiting children’s hospitals during Halloween.
“Oh yeah, I mean that’s a blessing, you know, just being able to go to the children’s hospital and just light up the room,” he said. “That’s obviously what we’re here for, we’re more than just football players at the end of the day, so, being able to put the smile on people’s faces, those are the type of moments we live for, for sure.”
McMillan also credited veteran receiver David Moore with helping his development despite Moore’s injury earlier in the season.
“D-Mo, he’s obviously a cool, calm, collected guy…he’s a seasoned vet in our room…we’re still learning from him even though he’s on the sideline right now,” said McMillan. “You’ll see him with his little brace out there and his cleats trying to do drills and stuff like that. So you realize how much this game means to him…he takes pride in everybody else’s successes for sure.”
He spoke about adapting to professional football by focusing on fundamentals and taking advice from coaches.
“Coach Moore always harps about being intentional and then playing with my hands…I try to perfect my craft and fine-tune any adjustments that I need to make…at the end of the day when pressure gets high everybody go back to their habits and fundamentals,” said McMillan.
He added that support from team staff helps players manage their health throughout an extended season: “Obviously the league does a good job as far as taking care of our bodies…so I think I’m at a good spot right now.”
The Panthers currently hold a 4-4 record halfway through their schedule. For McMillan—who entered his rookie campaign focused solely on contributing—there is still work ahead.
“I had no expectations for how my season would go,” he said Wednesday. “I just knew that I wanted to contribute to the team, be a factor, and be a part of the reason why we win games around here.
“We want to win as much games as we possibly can. We’RE at .500 right now but I feel like there’s a lot of games that we left out there that we should have won.”
