We are a little over a month away from the college football season starting and what better way than to evaluate athletes who are on the rise. This segment will feature University of Arizona’s dominant wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who has been labeled as the best wide receiver in the entire nation.

McMillan is coming off a record-breaking 2023 campaign in which he caught 90 receptions for 1,402 yards, a 15.6 average, and ten touchdowns. Against Arizona State, he caught 11 receptions for 266 yards and a touchdown. He was a dominant force not only in that specific game, but for the entire year. He is expected to continue his dominance and is poised for even higher production on the field in 2024.

Pro Football Focus wrote an article titled: ‘College Football: The top-10 returning wide receivers for the 2024 season’ in which author Max Chadwick listed McMillan as the number two receiver just behind Missouri’s Luther Burden III.

Chadwick discussed how McMillan catches anything that comes his way and how his play resembles Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, both athletes who had successful college playing careers.

If you throw it McMillan’s way, there’s a very good chance he’ll come down with it. There are two main reasons for that. The first is that he presents a massive target to throw to at 6-foot-5, giving him a larger catch radius than anyone on this list. His 17 contested catches in 2023 were second among FBS receivers to only Rome Odunze. The second is that he also has excellent hands, finishing with the lowest drop rate among Power Five receivers with at least 100 targets this past season (2.1%). Only Malik Nabers and Odunze finished with more receiving yards than McMillan this year in the Power Five (1,396), and those two were the only FBS receivers who had more receiving first downs/touchdowns than the Arizona sophomore (63). Both Nabers and Odunze are projected top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, a feat McMillan should accomplish in 2025 if he maintains this pace. 

McMillan also has the advantage of having more chemistry with his quarterback than anyone else on this list. He and Noah Fifita, one of PFF’s top-10 returning signal-callers, played together both in middle school and in high school.

Chadwick also mentioned how McMillan has excellent hands and is very reliable when catching the ball. He is projected to be a top selection in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, and an organization will be lucky to land such a dominant offensive force.

McMillan’s Collegiate Statistics:

2022: 39 Receptions for 702 Yards, 18.0 Average, 8 TDs

2023: 90 Receptions for 1,402 Yards, 15.6 Average, 10 TDs

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Standing at 6-foot-5 210 pounds, McMillan is a perfect redzone and jump ball threat. His size is one thing, but paired with his elite speed and excellent hands, McMillan is an all-around wideout that can do it all.

Expect him to have another 1,000 yard season and reach double-digit touchdowns, cementing his place as a top selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.