Buccaneers' QB Believes Young Receiver is Among NFL's Most Underrated

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In his first season as an NFL quarterback, Connor Bazelak spent the majority of his season on the Buccaneers' practice squad.
Although every NFL player aspires to dress on Sundays -- something Bazelak himself got to experience in the Bucs' Week 13 matchup vs. the Arizona Cardinals -- there's no question that Bazelak still got a ton of valuable experience learning from established NFL players and coaches playing on the practice squad throughout the year.
Not only did Bazelak get to learn about the ins and outs of life as an NFL player, the X's and O's on the field, and how to prepare off of it, but he also got to learn a lot about his teammates.
On Tuesday, Bazelak made a guest appearance on James Hill of BucsGameday's YouTube channel, where he spoke about a variety of topics, including his insider perspective on some of the Buccaneers' players.
One player who has really impressed Bazelak so far this offseason is one who will be expected to carry a much heavier load on offense for the Bucs this year than he did in 2025.
Tyler Bazelak Blown Away by Jalen McMillan's Talent

"Now that J-Mac is healthy, like, he's unbelievable!" Bazelak proclaimed. "He's going to be awesome this year for us and I think he's probably one of the most underrated receivers in the league just because he hasn't played a ton, he was a rookie two years ago, didn't play a ton last year, but he can roll. He's fun to watch, fun to throw to, yeah, he was a lot of fun to throw to for two months."
Bazelak mentioned the fact that he has spent a fair bit of time this offseason during the winter months throwing with several of his teammates, including Kameron Johnson, Devin Culp and Garrett Greene. However, it was Jalen McMillan who identified immediately when asked to name a player he has been impressed by.
Considering McMillan exploded for eight TD receptions as a rookie, despite being a rotational player amidst a loaded wide receiver room, speaks to the natural talent he possesses. After suffering a scary neck injury in the preseason, McMillan wasn't able to make the impact in his sophomore season that many expected.
Thankfully for the Bucs, who had to say goodbye to the greatest receiver in franchise history earlier this offseason, it sounds like one of their young players is poised for a breakout campaign in his third season.
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Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.
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