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Rising Carolina Panthers star makes cut for NFL midseason All-Rookie Team

The Panthers are an improved football team. This offseason, the team added a talented wide receiver in the first round who earned some accolades this week.
Russell Baxter|
Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) stiff arms New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) stiff arms New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) in the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season begins tonight when the Baltimore Ravens visit the Miami Dolphins. By the end of this week, every club in the league will have played in at least eight games.

So it’s that time again. Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has released his 2025 NFL midseason All-Rookie Team. It’s hardly a surprise, but the Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick in April made the squad.

“Tetairoa McMillan is an anomaly of sorts,” explained Edwards, “because he is a bigger body having success in a league being dominated by receivers with comfort playing in space. He has proven capable of winning balls down the field for Bryce Young, but has the third-most drops (three) among all rookies. McMillan ranks No. 11 in receiving yards.”

Tetairoa McMillan
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) makes a catch for a touchdown during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

To say that the eighth overall pick in April’s draft has been Dave Canales’s most productive pass catcher is a major understatement. McMillan has totaled 37 receptions for 512 yards and a pair of touchdowns—both of those scores coming in the team’s 30-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.

Let’s put that into some perspective. No other player on the club has caught at least 20 passes or totaled at least 200 receiving yards. Second-year pro Xavier Legette is second on the Panthers with 19 catches and 159 receiving yards.

McMillan was one of the bright spots in last Sunday’s lopsided home loss to the Buffalo Bills. He was targeted 10 times and caught seven passes for 99 yards in the 40-9 setback. The 6’5”, 212-pound performer makes for an imposing target for quarterbacks Bryce Young and Andy Dalton this season.

A year ago, Legette led the team with 49 catches, while veteran Adam Thielen racked up team-highs in receiving yards (615) and TD receptions (5). The former University of Arizona standout could wind up with some very impressive numbers by season’s end.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.