Patriots Country

Patriots Urged to Avoid Star WR Prospect for Key Reason

The New England Patriots are being advised to avoid selecting this star wide receiver in the NFL Draft for a very specific reason.
Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against the Colorado Buffalos at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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The New England Patriots can go in a variety of different directions with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft depending on who is available, but it's looking more and more like neither Travis Hunter nor Abdul Carter will be available for them.

The Patriots are widely expected to roll with LSU Tigers tackle Will Campbell in the event that both Hunter and Carter are off the board at No. 4, but there may also be a chance that New England considers Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

However, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski feels that the Pats should avoid taking McMillan with their top pick due to the fact that the draft class is so deep at receiver.

"To be fair, LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan share identical grades from the Bleacher Report Scouting Department," Sobleski wrote. "McMillan gets the nod here as the prospect to 'avoid,' because wide receiver is always a deep position, definitely more so than offensive tackle in this particular class."

Sobleski makes a great point, as this class is absolutely teeming with talent at wide out, and the Patriots should be able to land a compelling player at the position on Day 2 (or maybe even later).

"Once the Patriots get into Day 2, they can then add a wide receiver with Ole Miss' Tre Harris, Washington State's Kyle Williams, Iowa State's Jaylin Noel, TCU's Jack Bech, etc. likely being available," Sobleski added.

And those are only a few of the names that will likely be on the board in the second round and later.

Of course, it may be hard to ignore McMillan, a towering 6-foot-5 prospect who hauled in 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. He also racked up over 1,400 yards to go along with 10 scores in 2023.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.