Tetairoa McMillan's biggest flaw absolutely killed the Panthers in 2025

The rookie's drop issue was particularly concerning.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) extends but cannot catch a pass against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There's not a lot that didn't go right for Tetairoa McMillan in his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers. He is highly likely to win Rookie of the Year, and he broke the franchise rookie receiving record.

He was really good, establishing good chemistry with Bryce Young and becoming a pass-catcher that opposing defenses were actually worried about.

McMillan was far from perfect, though. He had one troubling issue in year one, and it actually hurt the Panthers pretty badly.

Data shows Tetairoa McMillan's drops were really harmful

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Tetairoa McMillan had a bit of a drops issue in 2025. He is officially credited with eight drops, which is tied for sixth in the NFL. He would tell you himself that he dropped way too many passes.

Sometimes, it sure looked like those drops were costly. He failed to reel in a few would-be touchdowns. Some long plays could have changed the game, but McMillan dropped (or should have caught but didn't) them.

Which receivers have lost the most expected points due to drops in 2025?

1. Jameson Williams 39.7
2. Elic Ayomanor 27.9
3. Brian Thomas 24.5
4. CeeDee Lamb 22.2
5. Jerry Jeudy 22.1 pic.twitter.com/4OQ6LfF263

— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) January 14, 2026

All told, his drops were actually among the most damaging in the entire NFL. He ranked sixth in lost EPA due to drops, ranking behind Jameson Williams, Brian Thomas Jr., Jerry Jeudy, and others.

Drops are unavoidable, and sometimes, they're not all that detrimental. Sometimes, teams will live with the drops since the receivers also provide a ton of big plays (see: 2015 Ted Ginn Jr.). Some of the names here are great receivers, like McMillan, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and A.J. Brown.

Still, that wasn't an issue in college. He rarely dropped passes before getting to the NFL. Rookie wide receivers often struggle with that issue before it works itself out, so McMillan will likely be fine.

Hopefully, the drops go away and McMillan returns to being the sure-handed, reliable target the Panthers drafted. If nothing else, he could drop passes that aren't so damaging to the win probability.

Had he not dropped some of those passes, there's no telling what the season would've looked like, but he also would've run away with Rookie of the Year, probably getting past 1,200 yards and maybe reaching double digits in touchdowns.

That has to, and probably will, improve in 2026.

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