Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan is way too hard on himself

Tetairoa McMillan has not been perfect for the Carolina Panthers. Then again, no NFL player, especially a rookie, is perfect. But for first-year players, there are some things that they struggle with right off the bat that smooth out as they stack years in this league.

For rookie wide receivers, that's most often drops. Ja'Marr Chase famously had issues with drops early on. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Brian Thomas Jr. struggled with them last season. That's been McMillan's bugaboo, and a big reason he is grading himself way too harshly.

Tetairoa McMillan rips himself for drops in first season

Tetairoa McMillan is among the league leaders with six official drops in his first 12 games. He's not at the top, but he's also not at the bottom with the most sure-handed players. That is a major reason he, according to Joe Person of The Athletic, gave himself a C+ for his rookie season.

That is incomprehensible. The drops have plagued him a bit, but he's also among the league leaders, not just rookies, in so many categories. He's been spectacular, but he cares a lot about catching the ball every time.

“I’ve just gotta look it all the way in, stop trying to do too much,” he said. “I’m just as surprised as you are for dropping so many balls — and just routine catches. I’ve just gotta clean that up for sure.”

This echoes the sentiment he shared with me for Panthers On SI. "I definitely dropped, like, routine catches. You know, I've never dropped this many balls in my life," he revealed. It weighs heavy on him, but he's being way too harsh.

Person graded McMillan with an A-, saying, "Much has been made about the Panthers’ problems with their downfield passing. But McMillan has produced an explosive catch (16-plus yards) on 21.9 percent of his receptions. With a strong finish, McMillan could join Cam Newton as the only Panthers to win Offensive Rookie of the Year."

That's more in line with what McMillan deserves. The drops have been an issue, and some of them have come at bad times, like on a key third down in San Francisco. He's also had some "drops" that would've been spectacular catches that he could make, but those are hard to fault him for. And besides that, he's been absolutely incredible.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Panthers studs & duds from their humiliating MNF loss to the 49ers

Takeaways from Carolina Panthers’ sloppy loss to San Francisco

ESPN analyst shares glowing praise for Carolina Panthers offseason

Carolina Panthers predicted to pick Ohio State star in 2026 NFL draft