Leading up to the 2025 NFL draft, many analysts were convinced the Dallas Cowboys were going to take a wide receiver with their 12th overall pick.
Texas’ Matthew Golden, who ran the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.29 seconds) at the combine in March, generated some last-minute buzz as a possible Cowboys target, but Dallas had been linked to Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan since January, and draft experts believed he would be the pick if he was still on the board when the Cowboys were on the clock.
But unfortunately for Dallas, McMillan didn’t even make it that far as the Carolina Panthers pounced on him with the No. 8 overall pick.
And while many Cowboys fans were presumably upset that McMillan went just a few picks before their team was on the clock, their level of disappointment likely didn’t match that of defensive end Micah Parsons, who was hoping McMillan would still be there at pick 12.
As Carolina’s pick was announced on the Bleacher Report live draft stream, Parsons fell forward, face pressed into his hands before sitting up and silently dropping an aggressive F-bomb.
“No, that was supposed to be our pick,” Parsons shouted. “I’m hurt. He was supposed to be opposite CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee, I’m sorry brother.”
McMillan was one of the top receivers in college football over the last two seasons. He put up 90 catches, 1,402 yards, and 10 touchdowns two seasons ago, and he logged 84 receptions, 1,319 yards, and eight touchdowns this season.
His presence would’ve given the Cowboys a dynamic playmaker opposite Lamb on the outside, where he played 78.1% of his snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus Focus.
The Cowboys passed on other available wide receivers including Golden, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, and Missouri’s Luther Burden, ultimately settling for Texas offensive guard Tyler Booker.
