Xavier Legette reveals reason behind not yet contacting Panthers No. 12 pick Tetairoa McMillan

The Carolina Panthers acquired wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick in this year's draft. Head coach David Canales is trying to provide quarterback Bryce Young with some help on offense this upcoming season.

McMillan joins a wide receiver room that boasts talents like Adam Thielen, Hunter Renfrow and last year's first-round pick, Xavier Legette. However, during the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Legette said he has yet to reach out to Tetairoa McMillan.

On the 'Up and Adams' show, host Kay Adams questioned Legette about the reason behind the delay in reaching out to the newest member of the wide receiver corps. He responded by explaining how he wants to build a bond with Tetairoa McMillan on a face-to-face basis instead of a virtual first meetup.

"You see man, I didn't want to text him yet," Legette said. "I want to talk to him when he come in and build that relationship with him once he get in there."

Xavier Legette then heaped praise on McMillan's game, calling him a 'good player' while talking about the impressive catches he made during his collegiate career. McMillan played for the Arizona Wildcats during his collegiate campaign. In three seasons, the wide receiver tallied a total of 3,423 yards and 26 TDs receiving.

On the other hand, Xavier Legette spent five seasons with South Carolina before getting drafted by the Panthers in the first round of last year's draft. During his rookie NFL campaign, he played in 16 games while catching 497 yards and four touchdowns.

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Ex-Panthers star shares true feelings on drafting Tetairoa McMillan

Former Panthers star Luke Kuechly is hopeful that McMillan is a great addition to the team. On Monday, he appeared on the "Up & Adams Show" to talk about the 2025 draft and what getting Tetairoa McMillan means for quarterback Bryce Young.

Kuechly highlighted how most of the wide receivers on the roster are tall guys. He then gave his overall perspective of how the situation will play out in favor of Bryce Young this upcoming season.

"On the offensive side of the ball, you go and draft Legette, and then moving forward this year, you go and get Tetairoa. You look at your wide receivers on the offensive side of the ball, and they're big....So they're surrounding Bryce, with the guys up front and guys outside. Then you bring in Rico Dowdle and you draft Trevor Etienne. Obviously, having Chuba back, and the team is set up for Bryce to have a ton of success."

After parting ways with Jonathan Mingo and Diontae Johnson, the Panthers have lacked the firepower to be a threat to opponents' defenses on the field.

Thus, with the addition of Tetairoa McMillan, they are looking to solve this problem while providing Bryce Young with a reliable pair of hands to make catches and be a threat in the red zone.