Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan accomplished an amazing feat on Sunday. McMillan caught his first career touchdown pass in the NFL, as the Panthers tangle with the Dallas Cowboys.

McMillan's catch came with the Panthers trailing 10-3 in the second quarter of the game. The Panthers wideout got a step on his defender and connected with Carolina quarterback Bryce Young on the play.

Carolina enters the Cowboys game with a 2-3 record on the season. McMillan has worked his way into the Panthers offense consistently as a rookie, but was never able to find the end zone until Sunday.

Carolina and Dallas are playing at time of writing. The Cowboys are 2-2-1 on the campaign.

Panthers have high hopes for Tetairoa McMillan

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

McMillan was a star wide receiver in college at Arizona, before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. The wide receiver was selected by the Panthers with the eighth overall selection.

Before the Cowboys game, McMillan had 24 receptions on the season. He had one game with 100 receiving yards. That came against the Arizona Cardinals on September 14, in a Panthers loss.

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Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is in awe of McMillan.

“I think he just plays with such a feel to the game,” Young said, per NFL.com. “A lot of times, you expect that out of a veteran receiver, you expect a guy that's played a ton of snaps to know where to be, know the angles to break out, to recognize coverage, to have a little nuanced things when if it splits off from someone else or someone's running a different route. Having the feel of OK, I'm going to adjust to make them right. I'm going to feel the zone and make sure I adjust my depth to be where I need to be.

“That's stuff that he does a great job at, stuff that when you're out there, especially at the quarterback position, you recognize it. It jumps out immediately, so it's just one of the many assets he brings. You're like, OK, a rookie doesn't normally do that.”

McMillan spoke just in recent days about his touchdown drought.

“I'm not really worried about it, man,” McMillan said. “God never makes a mistake, so when the time comes and it happens, it's meant to be.”

That time has finally come. Panthers fans hope that McMillan's touchdown Sunday is the first of several he will score this season, and in his career.