As good as wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan looked in his first year with the Carolina Panthers, there was also a lot of room for improvement for the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan had issues, at times, winning jump balls despite having superior size over the corners covering him. He also left a bit to desired when it came to contested catches and establishing his hand strength.
Well, the good news is that McMillan went out of his way to get bigger and stronger this offseason. Back in June, he told reporters he'd gained 17 pounds of muscle.
Here's what head coach Dave Canales had to say about McMillan's growth, per Joe Person at The Athletic, on Wednesday:
“He kinda was just a man on a mission to get stronger
to be able to feel that power in his game. That really is a part of his game that needed to be addressed . . . He really wanted to do that and he attacked it, put on some good, solid mass. He’s been great at the line of scrimmage, rugged to the ball. And he’s still got all the same (other) stuff, so I’m excited to see him this year.”
In theory, that extra muscle should help McMillan box out those smaller defensive backs in tight windows. It will also make tackling McMillan more difficult when he's attempting to add yards after the catch, an underrated part of his game.
McMillan proved to be a sharper route runner than advertised as a rookie—where he reeled in 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. So if he can improve in that area as well, he could be in for a major boost to what was already an impressive skill set going into his second NFL campaign.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales 'excited' over WR Tetairoa McMillan's offseason growth
