Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan might have been a potential pick for the Seattle Seahawks at number 18. The team rid itself of DK Metcalf this offseason, and does not have a big-bodied receiver in the same mold as Metcalf. McMillan's size matches the former mercurial Seattle receiver.
But McMillan was not going to be available for the Seahawks in the 2025 NFL draft. The Carolina Panthers chose him at pick number 8. His not being available for Seattle is a good thing. While McMillan has excellent size, he doesn't have Metcalf's speed. He also did not get as much separation in college as he should have.
Yes, he caught a bunch of contested balls, but college is different from the NFL. Those same situations in the league could easily become incompletions or, worse, interceptions.
Panthers do Seahawks a favor and take Tetairoa McMillan in 2025 NFL draft
Moreover, if the Seahawks are looking for a receiver to be in the Metcalf mold, McMillan was one of the few available like that. If that was the only kind of receiver Seattle was going to take, it meant the team could be forced to choose a different position. Seattle does need to get younger at wide receiver, but it has greater concerns along the offensive line, at cornerback, and on the defensive line.
In fact, had the Seahawks taken an interior defensive lineman, that would have made more sense than McMillan. Seattle has a lot of talent along the D-line, but a lot of that talent is aging. Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed are both over 30 years old.
With head coach Mike Macdonald in charge of the Seahawks' on-field product, the team needs to make sure the defense is elite. That means constantly revising the principal players. Williams and Reed won't be playing for much longer.
McMillan is a big receiver who some have questioned whether he truly loves the sport and whether he will be able to get open in the league. The Seahawks didn't need to take the risk of choosing him. Thanks to the Panthers, Seattle won't need to worry about that.