Finding Broncos: Scouting Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan

The Denver Broncos are expected to draft an offensive weapon for Bo Nix at No. 20 overall. The focus has been on the running back and tight end class, but what about wide receiver?

One potential candidate is Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan. What would he bring to the table?

Let's dive into McMillan's scouting report.

Biography

McMillan was born in Hawaii but moved to Southern California when he was 12. He attended Servite High School and was the highest-rated recruit in the school's history.

After initially committing to Oregon, he switched to Arizona, where he spent the last three years playing college football. 

Size & Athleticism

McMillan has excellent size and athleticism, though his long speed is a slight concern. He does have solid agility to be a threat with the ball in his hands. 

Key Statistic

With 37 games played, McMillian never missed a game. He also forced 28 missed tackles in 2024, the third most among receivers.  

Pros

McMillan has the height and length to be a threat as a receiver, which leads to a large catch radius. He does a good job of being on time with his hands, throwing timing off for defensive backs.

There is no rattling McMillan's focus at the catch point, no matter how clean or cluttered. His elite balance leads to missed tackles, with solid agility to sidestep defenders. 

Another bonus to McMillan's ability after the catch is his sudden-start ability, which can take the legs out from underneath many defenders. While there are concerns about his long speed, the burst and sudden acceleration exist. This also helps him snap his routes with clean breaks, leading to instant separation. 

McMillan also has good strength as a receiver and ball carrier, which you can carry into his work as a blocker. He can be hard to bring down without taking his legs out from underneath him.

McMillan has a natural sense and feel for coverages. He displays, with consistency, the ability to find the open hole in zone coverage and make himself a target for the quarterback. 

There is a lot to improve, but McMillan is coming in with an excellent technical foundation. He has the natural height and length, and it is easy to see why many view him as the top receiver in this class. McMillan has the traits you can’t teach, and he has a base of what you can teach that can help him transition to the NFL. 

Cons

The first thing to address is a two or three-year-old video of McMillan saying he doesn’t like to watch tape. That is an old video, and there is a chance he has changed his views since then.

If that's still an accurate sentiment, it could raise some alarms, but wide receiver isn’t a position where tape grinders are required. There are also concerns about his attitude last year, which McMillan has addressed by needing to improve and mature. 

McMillan has an excellent frame, but he can work on how he carries his weight on his frame. He's also a linear player, especially with his release, and can use some of the agility he exhibits with the ball in his hands to help him get a cleaner release against press coverage. There are also some issues with his route running, but it comes with how he stacks defenders through his route and sustains better leverage against them. 

When tasked as a blocker, McMillan has serious effort and technical concerns. It may be a situation where you have to accept that he will never be a blocking receiver, and that will hurt him in the eyes of many coaches. Add a minimal route tree at Arizona, and you have two significantly hindering concerns for the modern NFL. 

There isn’t much speed with McMillan, and it leads to issues pulling away on deeper shots. That will limit his usage in the NFL, and it could see him be used more as a big slot receiver than a boundary receiver. McMillan can thrive underneath with the top taken off if he ends up with a team with a legitimate deep threat. 

Fit with Broncos

The Broncos can use a variety weapon like McMillan, who isn’t a gadget receiver like Marvin Mims Jr. McMillan can play on the boundary or in the slot, allowing Sean Payton to get creative with deploying his receivers.

There is also the ability to protect against the possibility of losing Courtland Sutton in 2026, who has an uncertain future, by adding McMillan.

Draft Grade: Round 1