The Tampa Bay Buccaneers boast a pair of All-Pro caliber wide receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, it's been a rookie wideout, Jalen McMillan, catching the eye of quarterback Baker Mayfield so far.
"He's a guy that runs so smooth," Mayfield said of the rookie . "He does some things at the top of his routes -- he's so friendly to the ball -- that veterans do."
The Bucs selected McMillan with the 92nd pick of the 2024 Draft out of the University of Washington . The rookie wideout was often overshadowed by his Huskie teammates Rome Odunze (ninth pick) and Ja'Lynn Polk (37th pick).
"You're watching (Ja’Lynn) Polk , you're watching (Rome) Odunze ," Mayfield reiterated. "What people don't realize, he was their leading guy in '22 before he got hurt. And so, for him to get back to true form -- he's a stud."
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Mayfield is right -- McMillan went for 1098 yards on 79 catches to go along with nine touchdowns during an impressive 2022 season at Washington. He was slowed by an injury in 2023 and was overshadowed. by his talented teammates.
Currently, McMillan is in an open competition for the Bucs ' third receiver slot on the depth chart behind Evans and Godwin. His strong camp, however, may put him in the driver's seat so far.
He faces challenges from veteran Sterling Shepherd (Mayfield's teammate at Oklahoma), Trey Palmer (who had close to 400 yards as a sixth-round rookie last season), and Rakim Jarret (a second-year undrafted player with limited reps).
There may also be an opportunity to earn a starting spot on the outside for 2025 and beyond for McMillan: Evans is about to turn 31 and Godwin is a free agent after this season.
"It's good to see as a young guy coming in and eager to learn," Mayfield said of McMillan. "He's obviously got a pretty good group to learn from with those guys that we have."
Head coach Todd Bowles was also eager to shower the rookie wideout with praise. "He's another one having a great camp. He's a good football player."
"Since he's come in, he's made every play since day one. He's very intelligent. He wants to be good, he wants to learn. The receiving group loves him, and he continues to get better and better. I like where he's at."
The Buccaneers, who won the NFC South in 2023 for the third time in a row, will face stiff competition from a now Kirk Cousins -led Atalanta Falcons team to maintain their division crown.
Perhaps McMillan can be the difference maker. " He might not be the biggest guy, but he's going to go up and highpoint the ball and that's a natural skill that he has," Mayfield said . "My trust is going to continue to grow as long as he keeps doing the right things, and he is."
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