Nick Baumgardner projects Panthers drafting star WR in latest mock draft

The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner believes that the Carolina Panthers will help Bryce Young and the offensive side of the ball with their first round pick later this April.

In his latest 2025 NFL mock draft released on Monday, Baumgardner projected that Carolina would select Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick.

As Baumgardner noted, McMillan "has the ability to help Bryce Young and this young Panthers offense immediately."

Carolina's wide receiver depth chart features Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, and Jalen Coker among others. Though all three individuals played well in 2024, the Panthers' offense is still in need of a clear No. 1 receiver in 2025 for Bryce Young.

McMillan could easily fill that role with great success if he is drafted by the franchise. Last season at Arizona, McMillan finished with 84 receptions for 1,319 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns. He was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year in 2024, as well as a Consensus All-American and a First-team All-Big 12.

How Tetairoa McMillan would help the Carolina Panthers' offense

Bryce Young struggled for the first year and a half of his NFL career and was even benched by the franchise for his poor performances and bad results. However, after a mid-season injury to QB Andy Dalton, Young took back the starting job and played extremely well at the end of the 2024 campaign.

In the final 10 games of the 2024 season, Young had 2,104 passing yards, 20 total touchdowns (15 passing TD, 5 rushing TD), and only six interceptions.

As a result, the Panthers need to provide Bryce Young some help in 2025, given his strong performances at the end of 2024. McMillan can be exactly what Carolina needs on the outside. He is extremely quick and agile, is physical as a receiver, and is able to make contested catches down the field.

If McMillan were selected by the franchise in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Panthers would be able to unlock a new dimension to their offensive unit, one that can use the deep ball to unlock more over the middle of the field for Bryce Young.