There's an understandable yet incorrect narrative that the Green Bay Packers never consider drafting a wide receiver in the first round. While rare, they have made attempts.
They tried to trade up for Justin Jefferson and attempted to move into the first round to land Christian Watson before eventually trading to the top of the second to select him.
It would take a special prospect, but the Packers won't shy away from drafting a receiver.
Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan would fit the bill this year. He is the best wide receiver in the class and could solve Green Bay's need for pass-catching help.
The Packers need a receiver who can beat man coverage consistently. Per Pro Football Focus, McMillan averaged an impressive 3.5 yards per route run against man coverage last season, ranking 20th among 305 NCAA wide receivers. His elite 89.1 receiving grade against man coverage ranked eighth.
Many view McMillan as a top-15 pick, but his draft stock had seemingly begun to fall, with some mocks even seeing him drop to the Packers at No. 23.
Those dreams are likely over.
Tetairoa McMillan may have crushed any outside chance of Packers drafting him
There's no questioning McMillan's talent, but he put any remaining fears to bed with his performance during a private workout for NFL teams.
How fast could he run? Some believed a disappointing 40-yard time could cause him to fall into the Packers' range, but he emphatically shut down those questions at his workout.
While his times are unofficial, a report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer indicates his 40-yard dash came in somewhere between 4.54 and 4.57 seconds. Others believe he hit around 4.48 seconds.
That is more than fine for a 6-foot-4, 219-pound receiver, and all but confirms he will go before the Packers' pick. For perspective, Davante Adams ran a 4.56-second 40 at the NFL Combine.
McMillan checked one of the only remaining boxes, and it's hard to imagine he falls beyond the No. 15 pick.
Would the Packers go a step further and trade up? If he falls far enough, they should consider it.
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McMillan wins everything thrown his way. Jordan Love likes to give his receivers a chance to win contested catches, and there are few in this draft class better at hauling them in than McMillan.
"McMillan has All-Pro potential because of his length, athleticism and football intelligence. He's a smooth criminal of a receiver who was the focal point of Arizona's offense," writes Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus.
He dominated in his final season at Arizona, catching 84 passes for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Packers used their 2024 first-round pick on McMillan's former teammate, Jordan Morgan. However, they would likely need to trade up to bring the Arizona receiver to Green Bay.
For a moment, it felt like there was a glimmer of hope that he could fall to No. 23. McMillan went a long way to calm any fears of his speed with a solid time at his workout, likely ending any hope of him falling to No. 23.