The Packers haven’t taken a receiver in the first round since 2002. Will McMillan change that?
It’s been 23 years since the Packers took a wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft. Put differently, a prospect born the day the Packers last took a receiver in the first round would now be on the older end for players the Packers would consider. To recall another relic of the early 2000s, it’s been a while.
But for a team that historically doesn’t take receivers among the first 32 picks, the Packers are doing an awful lot of work on receivers this spring. Their visits point to the taking a wide receiver at some point this year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them grab one early.
And those visits include the best of the best at the position this year, namely Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, a 6-foot-4, 219-pound stud with a penchant for contested catches and dominating the middle of the field.
McMillan ranks 11th on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board, but in a relatively poor wide receiver class, he’s climbed as high as fifth. A glance at what he brings to the table shows exactly why.
Though he won’t blow anybody away with his speed (just a 4.54-second 40-yard dash), McMillan makes the most of what he’s got to bring in regular big plays. Raw receiving totals in college are extremely fungible, but it’s worth noting that even without exceptional speed, McMillan averaged more than 16 yards per catch for his career, including a 15.7 per catch average his final year as a Wildcat. For comparison, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, whose entire game can be summarized with the word “fast,” managed just 15.4 yards per reception in his college career.
McMillan gets his work done roughly where you’d expect for a big man with good ball skills: in the middle of the field. He’s an enormous, physical target, and he’s willing to battle for the ball with whoever’s interested in fighting him.
On the sideline, McMillan exhibits the exact kind of body control you’d like to see, deftly nabbing throws that smaller receivers could only dream of bringing in.
It’s not too hard to see why the Packers might be interested in McMillan. His size and willingness to block (mentioned as a strong point in Dane Brugler’s “The Beast”) are prototypical for a Packers wide receiver, and with Christian Watson still recovering from an ACL tear, the Packers could use more of both of those attributes.
The knocks on McMillan are, somewhat surprisingly, character-related. You wouldn’t expect the “does he like football?” type questions about a player who turned down rich NIL deals to stay at Arizona and play with his high school best friend, but they’re out there. He’s on record saying he doesn’t watch film and had to address concerns about his attitude and body language last season. I don’t have a substantive take here; if the Packers decide they’re fine with his attitude, that’s good enough for me. It’s worth mentioning, though, given his otherwise virtually spotless scouting report. And for that matter, McMillan markets his own “NALO” merchandise (Negative Attitudes Lose Opportunities), so it seems he’s at least aware of those criticisms.
Attitude aside, the real issue with landing McMillan is probably the rest of the draft field. The Packers pick 23rd, and they’d almost assuredly have to trade up to get McMillan if they wanted him. The Packers could get as high as 18 without giving up their second-round pick, but I think it would be a surprise to see McMillan still on the board at that point. If he’s there, the Packers have done the work to know what they’re dealing with. Whether or not they pull the trigger is an open question, but they’ll at least have done the work.
