Top Draft Prospect Lands Brutal Comparison to Patriots Bust

The New England Patriots should have a lot of options with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but based on recent developments, it seems possible that their two preferred targets—Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter—may be off the board by the time they are on the clock.

In that scenario, what should the Patriots do?

Well, Ryan McLaughlin of Musket Fire has put together a list of players New England shouldn't take with the fourth pick, and one name was rather surprising: Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who he compared to a former Pats bust.

"For all the talent and size McMillan has, his lack of speed is very concerning," McLaughlin wrote. "Many wonder if he'd just be another version of N'Keal Harry. We saw how well that worked out for the Patriots. ... McMillan is a matchup nightmare at 6'4'', but similar things were said about Harry coming out of college. At best, McMillan is a late first-round talent, and I don't see him excelling in a Josh McDaniels offense."

Harry was selected by the Patriots with the 32nd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent just three seasons in New England before the Pats gave up on him.

It's not necessarily fair to liken McMillan to Harry just because they're both tall receivers, as the former definitely seems to be the more explosive player.

McMillan is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he hauled in 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns, good for an average of 15.7 yards per catch. He also caught 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 scores in 2023.

While Harry was certainly good at Arizona State, he didn't post quite that level of production.

And here's the thing: if Hunter and Carter both, in fact, end up being unavailable at No. 4, the Patriots won't have many other legitimate options outside of McMillan or tackle Will Campbell, unless they want to reach for an edge rusher.

Of course, New England could also trade down, which remains a possibility.

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