* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For receivers, a player needs to be a realistic
threat for 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards at some point
early in their career to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional
scarcity at the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Massive catch radius and excellent ball tracking;
invites the physicality of contested-catch situations and has
the (vertical) explosion to go places most receivers (or cornerbacks)
cannot go. (He won 60 percent of his contested catch situations
in 2024.)
Supremely confident in his hands - for good reason.
Rare combination of field awareness and body control
allows him to work the sideline like a seasoned pro.
Smooth route-runner who sinks his hips well for a taller
receiver - allowing him to transition seamlessly at the top
of his route; runs the whip route to perfection.
Proficient after the catch, chewing up real estate with
long strides (430 yards after the catch in 2024 and 537 in 2023);
highly productive on screen passes, which highlighted how difficult
he can be to bring down.
Ridiculously good at getting open against zone coverage
(PFF charted him as open against zone on 94.3 percent of his
targets); adjusts his route to coverage and spatial awareness
appears almost innate.
Did not miss a game in three college seasons (37 games)
and logged ample time at all three receiver positions (X, Y,
Z), spending about 75 percent of his time on the perimeter.
Negatives
Does not create much separation against man coverage
(PFF charted him as open against man on 53.6 percent of his
targets).
Occasionally appears content to keep the defender in
his back pocket (26 percent of his 260 targets over his last
two seasons were contested).
May need to learn to decrease his surface area off the
line of scrimmage in the NFL; his big frame already presents
a challenge in that regard, but he stands mostly upright at
the snap.
His 4.48 (reported) time in the 40 is a good speed for
someone with his size, but it will increase how often he has
to use his size and vertical jump to win downfield.
Bottom Line
In the four years I have given film grades to players, only three
receivers have topped 70. All of them were selected inside the
top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft. There is one receiver in this draft
class that belongs with the top end of last year's draft class:
McMillan. His 2023 film may be the best I have seen in the 10-plus
years I have been watching receiver prospects and his 2024 film
was almost as good. Simply put, there is not much to find fault
with here. It should not take long for him to be considered one
of the best contested-catch wideouts in the game. His huge frame,
long arms and vice-grip hands figure to make him a go-to option
across the middle for a decade or more. Few - if any - college
receiver prospects have been better working the sideline. He is
even exceptional after the catch.
The perfect receiver prospect would ideally have a bit more burst
(again, not easy for a bigger receiver) and thus consistently
create more separation downfield, but those are such minor knocks
at a position where it is extremely difficult to have above-average
or better traits across the board. Even that criticism comes with
a stipulation: it almost seems at times as McMillan is slowing
up on some plays because he knows he has such a size and athletic
advantage over most cornerbacks. It also may not be fair to say
he did not create much separation downfield considering how often
he was underthrown. He even offers some trick-play utility, having
completed four of five passes for 43 yards and a touchdown on
receiver throwbacks or the like. McMillan belongs in the same
conversation as Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. as a player who can immediately be the alpha receiver for
the team that drafts him. Barring a horrible landing spot in which
the team already has a target monster in place, "T-Mac"
should contribute immediately and be an annual threat for at least
80-90 catches early in his career. He will be my highest-rated
receiver prospect this spring.
Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and joined the
Fantasy Points website before the start of the 2024 season. He is
also a highly successful high-stakes player who often appears as
a guest analyst on Sirius XM. Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association. Please check him out on "The Football
Diehards" podcast with co-host JJ Wenner.
