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Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan gets solid grade, 'optimistic early review' from analyst

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is off to a strong start to his career.
Mike Moraitis|
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Not much has gone right for the Carolina Panthers amid their 1-3 start, but the team has to be happy with what it has seen thus far from first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan.

While McMillan certainly hasn't been perfect, he has looked the part of the No. 1 wide receiver the Panthers thought they were getting.

McMillan has 278 yards over four contests and has already tallied his first-career 100-yard game. Not elite numbers by any stretch, but McMillan's stats don't match the tape and there's no doubt Carolina's top pick has passed the eye test.

Pro Football Focus recently put out its rankings of the top-15 rookies through four weeks and McMillan landed at No. 14 and was the only rookie wideout to make the cut.

Taking everything into account, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon has given McMillan a "B" grade at the quarter point of the season and is "optimistic" about his future in the NFL.

"McMillan has yet to score a touchdown, has dropped a couple balls and caught just 51.4 percent of the passes thrown his way, but he's put up 168 receiving yards the last two weeks and he's looked better than those numbers would indicate. Throw in that he's been battling a calf injury, and this is an optimistic early review," Gagnon wrote.

Unfortunately for McMillan, he has been held back at least a bit by quarterback Bryce Young, who has struggled early on. We truly believe the rookie would have far better numbers if Carolina's quarterback play was better.

The good news is, all indications are the Panthers have a long-term No. 1 wide receiver in their starting lineup and that's just about all the team can ask for at this early stage of his career.

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Mike Moraitis
MIKE MORAITIS

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who has covered the NFL for major outlets such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. He has previously written for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and FanSided, and got his start in sports media at Bleacher Report.

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