NFL draft expert breaks down why WR1 prospect should be Panthers' pick

Trevor Sikkema at Pro Football Focus explains why Arizona wide receiver Tet McMillan should be Carolina's top target with the 8th overall pick in the draft.

Oct 26, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) catches the ball during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Arizona Stadium. | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

All signs point to the Carolina Panthers picking an edge rusher with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft 11 days from now. However, there's a pretty good case for them to go in a different direction with that critical first-round selection.

Here's Trevor Sikkema from Pro Football Focus breaking down why Arizona wide receiver prospect Tet McMillan should be Carolina's top target with the 8th overall pick in the draft.

Love the detailed breakdown by @TampaBayTre on why his pick for the #Panthers at #8 (if the board fell this way) would be Tetairoa McMillan.

1. Ward 2. Carter 3. Hunter 4. Campbell 5. Graham 6. Jeanty 7. Membou

“He is a top 5 player in the class IMO”

“Even though you want the… pic.twitter.com/45dBv9lVpu

— Keep Purring Podcast (Ben) (@KeepPurringBen) April 12, 2025

McMillan (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) has the skills that most of the Panthers' wide receivers are missing right now, namely a wide catch radius, soft hands and the ability tack on yards after the catch. McMilllan is particularly impressive at breaking tackles in space and his size makes him a high-end weapon in the red zone.

That's an area where the Panthers offense can really stand to improve. While Bryce Young did a great job of avoiding turnovers inside the 20 (he only threw one interception) he also completed less than 52% of his attempts there and only totaled 11 touchdown passes. Above all, that's why Carolina needs a weapon like McMillan, to make Young's life easier when they get in position to score.

If the Panthers aren't going to take McMillan we'd also be very happy with Penn State's Tyler Warren, who's the number-one ranked tight end in this class - for a lot of the same reasons.

What they shouldn't do is panic and take the best pass rusher on the board - unless somehow Abdul Carter or Mason Graham fall. There are a lot of quality edge prospects in this class and they can land very good ones on Day 2 or even Day 3 - that first-round pick should be reserved for upgrading their offensive skill group, which is one of the league's worst.

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