It's not a matter of if Tetairoa McMillan gets selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, but when.
The former Arizona wide receiver is one of 17 players who will be in attendance for the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday in Green Bay.
It's not often an ex-Wildcat gets invited to the NFL Draft green room. The last time it happened, tight end Rob Gronkowski bear-hugged NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on stage after the New England Patriots selected him in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Unlike "Gronk," McMillan will land in the first round and headline Arizona's draft class that also features offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, kicker Tyler Loop and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, among others.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, right, gets a helmet butt from running back Kedrick Reescano after he hauled in a touchdown catch in the first quarter against Houston in their Big 12 game on Nov. 15, 2024.
"It's really neat that those young men have a chance to fulfill that dream," said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan. "So many players say they want to play in the NFL. ... It's going to be fun to see what's next for all of those guys."
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, McMillan's longtime best friend and teammate dating back to middle school, said, "this is a very special week for us, especially for T and his family."
"This is something he worked his whole life for," Fifita said of McMillan. "God gave him so many talents, but at the end of the day, he did so much work to put himself in this situation. We know whatever franchise chooses him is going to be incredibly lucky and I look forward to watching him do what he's done his whole life."
When McMillan signed with Arizona as the highest-rated recruit for the program in the modern recruiting era, he shouldered lofty expectations — and exceeded them.
In three seasons, McMillan recorded a school-record 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns, which is the third-most in program history. McMillan ended his Arizona career with the most career receiving yards in Arizona history, passing current Arizona wide receivers coach Bobby Wade in the Wildcats' road finale against TCU.
McMillan also holds the single-game record for receiving yards (304) and touchdowns (four), which he set in the season opener against New Mexico in August. McMillan ended his college career with 1,162 yards after catch, and his 213 career receptions ranks fourth in UA history behind Mike Thomas, Wade and Dennis Northcutt. Last season, the 6-5, 212-pound McMillan totaled 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns.
Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan, left, heads upfield after snaring a catch in the middle of the second quarter against Texas Tech on Oct. 5, 2024, at Arizona Stadium.
McMillan displayed the production and athleticism at Arizona, but his breakaway speed (40-yard dash time) as a big-bodied receiver was in question by many draft pundits until his private workout at Arizona Stadium in March, which had more than two dozen NFL scouts and coaches in attendance, after he didn't perform at the NFL Scouting Combine and Big 12 Pro Day. McMillan's 40-yard dash time unofficially ranged from 4.46 to 4.53 seconds.
Now that McMillan finished the pre-draft process, he could make history in multiple ways on Thursday.
If McMillan is drafted higher than seventh overall, the former UA wide receiver will become the highest-selected Wildcat in NFL Draft history, passing linebacker Ricky Hunley, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984.
Some NFL projections have McMillan landing as high as fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by head coach Liam Coen, who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which has star receiver Mike Evans, a common comparison for McMillan.
Other receiver-needy teams in the first round of the NFL include the Las Vegas Raiders (sixth overall), Carolina Panthers (eighth overall), New Orleans Saints (ninth overall), Dallas Cowboys (12th overall), Seattle Seahawks (18th overall), Denver Broncos (20th overall) and the Los Angeles Chargers (22nd overall), albeit there's a great chance McMillan doesn't fall past the late 'teens.
The Cowboys and Seahawks could be ideal landing spots for McMillan, because he likely wouldn't be the premier receiver in the early stages of his NFL career. Dallas has All-Pro receiver Ceedee Lamb, while Seattle has Pro Bowler Jaxon Smith-Njigba. McMillan could be in a similar situation to his freshman and sophomore year at Arizona, where slot receiver Jacob Cowing attracted the attention of defenders and McMillan wasn't double-teamed or bracketed like his junior season. Plus, after Seattle traded star DK Metcalf, who has a similar frame (20 pounds heavier) as McMillan, to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Seahawks could be in the market to find Metcalf's replacement in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Regardless of where McMillan lands on Thursday, he'll be the first-ever UA receiver taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Northcutt and running back-converted-receiver Vance Johnson were both taken in the early second round.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) against West Virginia in the first half Oct. 26, 2024, in Tucson.
McMillan will be the second first-round pick in as many years for Arizona, after offensive lineman and Marana native Jordan Morgan went 25th overall to the Green Bay Packers last year. Morgan snapped Arizona's 16-year drought of first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Former Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
The last time Arizona had back-to-back years with first-round picks was in 1999 and 2000, when defensive back Chris McAlister went 10th overall to the Baltimore Ravens and running back Trung Canidate landed at No. 31 overall to the St. Louis Rams.
It's a possibility Arizona has multiple first-round picks on Thursday. Savaiinaea, who is a projected early second-round pick, could potentially land as high as 25th overall to the Houston Texans or 28th to the Detroit Lions — two teams eyeing interior offensive linemen.
Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan lets go a scream after getting wide open for a touchdown catch against New Mexico in the first quarter at Arizona Stadium, Aug. 31, 2024.
If McMillan and Savaiinaea are taken in the first round on Thursday, it will mark the first time Arizona has two first-round picks in the same draft since linebacker Chris Singleton (New England Patriots) and defensive end Anthony Smith (Oakland Raiders) in 1990.
In a mini-documentary produced by the NFL, McMillan said, "Draft night is going to mean so much to me."
"It's always been my dream, because God has blessed me with many gifts and talents," said McMillan. "The opportunity that is being presented to me is something that 1% of the world can experience.
"I'm just super grateful and super blessed. ... Ultimately turning my dreams into a reality."
