Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan talks chemistry with Bryce Young: 'It's been a blessing'

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is having a huge rookie season, and Bryce Young has played a big role in his success. On3 recently caught up with McMillan and asked him about his experience working with the third-year quarterback.

“Yeah, it’s been a blessing, obviously just him being from Cali and then us playing against each other growing up and playing against each other in high school,” Tetairoa McMillan told On3. “So, just being able to finally be on his side of the ball and being able to build that chemistry with him has been a blessing for sure.”

Bryce Young played high school football at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, and McMillian played at Servite in Anaheim, California. In 2019, Young led Mater Dei to a big victory over Servite. When the Panthers drafted McMillan in April, he said his Servite team lost that game by “45 points” on national television.

McMillan knew the type of player Young was when he saw him in high school, which is why he’s excited to play with him on the same team now. And it seems that the two have no issues working together, as McMillan has caught 57 passes for 826 yards and six touchdowns through 13 games. Young has thrown for 2,337 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through 12 games, and veteran quarterback and McMillan are two reasons the Panthers are 7-6 and half a game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead.

Can Tetairoa McMillan and Bryce Young get the Panthers to the playoffs?

But how can the Panthers finish the season strong and make a run in the playoffs? “Just be consistent and continue to elevate,” McMillan explained. “I feel like we’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows right now. So we just got to learn how to be consistent and stack days, and just elevate.”

If the Panthers continue to win, McMillan will likely be in the running for some postseason honors like Offensive Rookie of the Year. But McMillan’s focus is to help the Panthers win as many games as possible in the last month of the season.

“Obviously, I want to win as much as I possibly can. But you can’t win any awards if your team’s not winning games,” he said. “So the main focus is just to win as much games as far as, obviously we want to make the playoffs and we want to win the division, so just continue to stack days and get better.”