Now when it’s the chat sessions with Travis Hunter, it surely has to be fun. Well, after all, the Colorado Buffaloes dual-threat is always there to boost you up with that ear-to-ear grin. On February 12, Hunter hosted his old friend on his podcast. That’s none other than the Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Now when the two receivers meet, you know which way the conversation is going to head, right? McMillan could not wait to pour his heart out, sharing about how he often fails to get the limelight from the NFL scouts. Meanwhile, his future hangs in the air with the $4.4 billion NFL giant.
A feeling of being undervalued plagues Tetairoa McMillan’s heart
Now you can fathom the heat when two players who once had top-five NFL Draft aspirations sit in a room. We are talking about Hunter and McMillan, folks! Sadly, both of them have lost their charms when it comes to the NFL draft stocks. Do you remember that matchup between Arizona and Colorado in 2023? The Wildcats defeated the Buffaloes, finishing 34-31. McMillan was instrumental in the victory and came up with nine catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. During that game, Hunter was the defender assigned to cover McMillan more than any other Colorado player. Two years down the line, the Buffs’ dual-threat probably doesn’t remember the defeat.
Rather, he invited McMillan on The Travis Hunter Show. That’s when the Arizona WR shared his feelings about his draft stocks hitting a nosedive. As per the recent NFL mock drafts, McMillan will be picked in the Top 6 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Even though it would make him the school’s highest-ever draft pick, this did not sit well with the WR. Maybe, somewhere deep in his heart, he felt that he and his talents had been taken too lightly. On the podcast, there came a question for the player, “What’s one thing you think NFL scouts don’t talk enough when it comes to your game?” Looked like McMillan was waiting to address the issue.
He immediately went like, “Shoot! I would probably say toughness. I feel like as a receiver people slip on the toughness aspect of it.” McMillan is a 6-foot-5, 212-pound force on the field. Coming out of high school, he was rated as a consensus four-star recruit. Even though the Wildcats had somewhat of a lackluster season, he was incredibly productive during his time in Tucson. In 37 contests, he caught 213 passes for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns. Maybe his stats were not enough to woo the scouts. So McMillan said that the scouts hold a mindset about the WR position, “But man, they don’t really look at it too much. They don’t really talk about it too much. This year, um, we didn’t do so good, but I feel like I took a lot of hits.” Now what does his NFL future have on hold for him?
Will Tetairoa McMillan end Arizona’s draft drought?
Well, even though McMillan’s dream to be in the Top 5 is likely to not come true, he will be in the Top 10. Now, do you know that the Wildcats went 16 years without a first-round pick? Thanks to Jordan Morgan, who was selected 25th overall last year by the Green Bay Packers. Now will McMillan bring back the lost pride to Arizona? As per ESPN, the WR will land in the New Orleans Saints as the No.9 pick.
After all, they are in dire need of a WR. Chris Olave had a tough time because of concussions this season. On the other hand, Rashid Shaheed underwent a bad knee injury and is still recovering. The same goes for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is a free agent. That’s where McMillan will fit the puzzle with his talents to run clean routes. Plus, he has an incredible catch radius to snag balls thrown outside his frame. Coming off as the third in receiving in the 2024 season, he could be an asset in the red zone.
Even The Athletic sees Tetairoa McMillan as No.9 going to New Orleans. His combined stats over the past two seasons do all the talking. He caught 174 passes for more than 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns over his last two seasons. Even though the Wildcats hardly faced a top-end schedule, the tapes are the biggest proof of how McMillan’s dominance and immense potential would do the honors. May McMillan’s rise in New Orleans hit all the high notes of success!
The post Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan Blames NFL Scouts for Low Draft Stock as Future With $4.4B Franchise Hangs in Balance appeared first on EssentiallySports.