When it comes to mock drafts, it can be hard to filter through the muck. There’s a lot of them out there.
That’s why ESPN’s Peter Schrager, year in and year out, has gained attention for his annual mock draft because he only does one, he only puts it out on the day before the draft and only does it after he speaks with someone from all 32 NFL teams.
In Schrager’s 2025 mock draft he has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the first round (No. 19 overall). It represents a precipitous drop for a player projected as a Top 10 pick since before his final college season.
It would be a somewhat stunning move for the Buccaneers, who end up in a “best player available” scenario despite having pressing needs on defense at edge rusher, safety and cornerback.
“The all-world athlete would be the perfect addition to a wide receiver room with a mix of veterans and young players,” Schrager wrote. “The Bucs love Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan is coming off a solid rookie year. (Tetairoa) McMillan would be the perfect student for the veterans to teach.”
Questions over Tetairoa McMillan’s work ethic and desire to be a great football player have dogged him since the end of a disastrous season for Arizona, which started the season ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 and stumbled to a 4-8 record.
“Tet McMillan … great player, great kid,” Schrager said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on April 22. “The questions are, does he love football? Is his heart in this? He took plays off. Is that going to be your first pick as GM of a team?”
McMillan was named All-Big 12 and a consensus All-American with 84 receptions for 1,319 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2024, which was his second consecutive season with over 1,300 receiving yards.
In 3 college seasons, McMillan set the Arizona career receiving record (3,423 yards) and is the only player in the Top 10 who didn’t play 4 seasons. He also set the Arizona single-game receiving record with 304 yards in the 2024 season opener against New Mexico.
Examining Why McMillan’s Draft Stock Plummeted
One video might explain McMillan’s draft stock plumetting — one in which McMillan (possibly being filmed in secret) says he doesn’t watch football “at all” and doesn’t watch film on his own because he watches it with his position group.
“In January, we wrote about how Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan could be the Wildcats’ highest-ever NFL draft pick by being a top-six selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, surpassing Ricky Hunley, who went No. 7 overall in 1984,” The Arizona Republic’s Jeremy Cuff wrote on April 9. “But McMillan’s draft stock has become a polarizing topic in recent NFL mock drafts, which now have him going as high as No. 6 and as low as No. 31 overall in the first round.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put McMillan on his list of the “most polarizing players” in the 2025 draft.
“The good is really good, but the bad is pretty bad,” one NFL offensive coordinator told Fowler. “The good is elite ball skills, burst after the catch. The bad is not running routes full speed.”
