With the 2025 NFL Draft on the horizon, 32 NFL fanbases are eagerly anticipating their teams adding a fresh group of potential stars to their rosters.
The Los Angeles Chargers fans are no different, and PFSN’s latest seven-round NFL mock draft should amp up that excitement even further.
Los Angeles Chargers Slated To Draft Tetairoa McMillan
The Chargers have had mixed results taking wide receivers in the early rounds of recent drafts. Quentin Johnston was supposed to replace Keenan Allen as a big-bodied alpha receiver after Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Two seasons into his Chargers career, though, Johnson has largely failed to deliver on the big stage, with countless drops plaguing his time in LA.
However, the team did a far better job in 2024, trading up three spots to take Ladd McConkey with the No. 34 overall pick. During his rookie season, McConkey caught 82 passes, which ranked 19th overall, tied with Terry McLaurin. He turned those 82 receptions into 1,149 receiving yards, ranking 10th overall in that category.
But based on PFSN NFL draft analyst Joe DeLeone’s mock draft, the Chargers aren’t stopping there. With the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, DeLeone predicts that the Chargers will take Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona.
“Ladd McConkey was electric in his rookie season, but Quentin Johnston hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he was supposed to develop into,” DeLeone wrote. “With no ties to the current front office and coaching staff, finding his replacement could be an early focus for the Chargers. Tetairoa McMillan’s contested catch dominance combined with McConkey’s slot elusiveness would make for a quality receiving core.”
Do the Chargers Need Receiving Help?
Despite McConkey’s rookie-season heroics, the team crashed out in the first round of the playoffs with a 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans.
Jim Harbaugh’s first season in LA should be considered a massive success, leading the team to 11 wins after taking over following a disastrous 5-12 record in 2023. But the fact remains that the Chargers haven’t made the AFC Championship game since 2007 and the Super Bowl since 1994.
If Harbaugh wants his team to compete for Super Bowls, it will first have to compete with the best teams in the AFC. Cincinnati has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (pending contract talks), Kansas City has Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Travis Kelce, and Baltimore has Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and Isaiah Likely.
Unless the Chargers add a receiver or Johnston makes a huge leap in year three, the Chargers won’t have the firepower to out-gun their AFC rivals.
That’s where McMillan would help dramatically. He broke Arizona’s true-freshman receiving record with 702 receiving yards in his first year. He followed that up with increased production in his sophomore and junior years to become one of the top receivers in the 2025 class. He finished his collegiate career with 3,423 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.
McMillan could very easily go much higher in the draft in April, so the Chargers would be foolish to pass on him if he fell to No. 22. The combination of McConkey and McMillan would be a nightmare for opposing defenses and would likely propel the team into contention.
McMillan’s Scouting Report
McMillan enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best receivers and overall players in the class. It is admittedly a weak receiver class compared to recent years, but McMillan would be highly regarded no matter what year he came out.
The Arizona product possesses very good size and overall athleticism for the position. He is a versatile receiver who can line up outside, in the slot, and even attached to the hip of the tight end all so he can maximize mismatches against nickel corners and linebackers.
McMillan is a big-bodied pass catcher with an outstanding catch radius and hands. He is a former basketball player and plays the game similar to a power forward, as he always knows how to position himself in front of the defender to get and win the football. McMillan has rare ball skills and is an outstanding contested catch and red-zone threat.
While McMillan has everything you would want in a big-bodied possession-type receiver, what sets him apart is that he actually has the athleticism of a receiver who is smaller in stature. McMillan is a smooth and fluid mover who gets out of his breaks with ease and doesn’t struggle to sink his hips and change direction, something bigger receivers usually struggle with.
Unlike most possession receivers, McMillan is outstanding with the ball in his hands — not just because he is strong and physical after the catch, which he is, but because he is sudden and has excellent instincts with the ball in his hands to make defenders miss.
McMillan is a very smart receiver who understands leverage and how to set up defenders throughout the route and he also understands how to find the soft spot in zones and make himself available for his quarterback.
There are a few concerns about McMillan’s projection as a No. 1 receiver at the next level, though the main one would be his lack of true deep speed. While he has sufficient speed for a receiver with his size, he lacks the third gear to consistently generate separation down the field in the NFL.
Additionally, he is not a receiver who excels in creating separation horizontally with sharp breaking cuts and usually relies on subtle push-offs and body positioning to create his separation. McMillan must also ensure that he runs every route with the same level of urgency as there are times he runs his routes without full effort, leading to his quarterback overthrowing him at times.
Overall, while McMillan may not have the speed to create home-run threats down the field, he does have the size, strength, and ball skills to be a high-volume target at the next level as well as a tremendous red-zone threat. His game is very reminiscent of Drake London, and I would be surprised if he isn’t the first receiver off the board come April.