0:00What's going on guys? Matt Harmon here.
0:02Reports out of Carolina are that the Panthers want to play secondyear wide out Tedo McMillan more in the slot this year and I think this is a really
0:11fascinating conversation. So James Co and I sat down for a really fun conversation on why this is a big deal for McMillan, how he fits as that slot
0:22player and why the Panthers should be able to accomplish that goal. However, after we had this conversation, right before you're about to post this video,
0:33we found out that Panthers rookie receiver Chris Brazzle is going to be out for the season after tearing his LCL in practice. So, I wanted to just jump
0:43on here before we throw to the conversation and just add a little piece of context about that because Brazle does come up a couple of times over the
0:51course of our conversation. And I do think this makes the Panthers goal of putting McMillan more in the slot a little bit difficult, but not totally
1:01impossible. One, I just want to say too, this stinks for Chris. Uh, it's rough for any player obviously to have a
1:07season ending injury, of course. Feel for Chris on that one. But in addition to this making the McMillan slot conversion a little more difficult, I
1:14also think this is tough for Chris Brazzle, too. You know, he's a prospect that was really talented, but we have a
1:20video of him on the channel talked about just some of the red flags in his profile coming out of that Tennessee
1:25offense and he he really needed this rookie season of development and he is now not going to get that. That stinks
1:31for Chris. Uh I liked the Panthers taking him in the third round. And I thought he added a nice dimension to
1:35their receiver room because Dave Canal even talked about this like he was set to be kind of that field stretching receiver in the offense and obviously
1:44now that's not going to happen here um at least in his rookie season. So, I think if you look just at the Panthers
1:54room, they can probably still accomplish the goal of getting McMillan more into the slot in, you know, 20 to 30% of his
2:04snaps. That's the uh outline that James Cohen I followed here. You know, he's not going to be suddenly 50% or something like that. He's not going to
2:12turn into I'm on Ross St. Brown where he's over 40%, right? just getting him over that 20% mark, 25% maybe that would
2:19be a big deal for McMillan. You look at his reception perception route charts, there's a lot of routes that he runs
2:25that really would fit uh working from the inside. Dig routes 91.5% the outcuts almost 78% that's the meat of his route
2:35tree. Um I think he could make a lot of explosive plays there, especially if he's in the slot getting a free release.
2:40Again, James and I sort of talk about that in this video, why I think he fits in that you I like Drake London a little
2:46bit better than McMillan. He was a better prospect and I I I think obviously we've just seen more of him in
2:50the NFL, but he's still within that family of wide receivers. You know, if uh Drake London's all the way up here at
2:56the top with like Michael Thomas, that arc type, McMillan is somewhere lower than that, but you know, better than like a Michael Pitman type, who also I
3:04think belongs in this family of wide receivers. as a prospect. I sort of compared McMillan to a combination of Courtland Sutton and Michael Pitman,
3:14which by the way, that sounds like a pretty freaking cool player to me. And I think a lot of McMillan's rookie season,
3:20we saw that vision play out. But more towards the Courtland Sutton part where he was this on ball exceiver running dig
3:27routes and and winning in tight coverage and and all that, I think they wanted to add more Michael Pitman layers in here.
3:33I think that can still be done without Chris Brazzle because Jaylen Coker, my guy, is a baller and can play as an
3:40outside on ball receiver. He's really the f, again, we talk about Brazil in the video, but Coker's ascension is the biggest key here to McMillan being able
3:50to play in the slot more. So, I still think most of this conversation holds a lot of what we said and we discussed. I
3:57still want you guys to be able to see that and get that and everything. So, we're going to run this conversation
4:03because it still is possible for shoot McMillan to play more than 15.2% of his snaps in the slot as he did as a rookie
4:11over the course of the entire regular season. However, just a little bit more complicated without Brazil and because Brazil was mentioned as as a key
4:18variable a couple of times. wanted to just give this piece of context that I think it will be a little bit more
4:23difficult and the pressure really now is on Xavier Legette to step up in his third NFL season and be able to at least
4:33contribute as an ex- receiver because he uh if you read his rookie season profile on the site kind of flopped in that role
4:41when he was promoted there after the Panthers traded Deontay Johnson back in the 2024 season. I know that feels like a thousand years ago, but that is a
4:49thing that happened here on Earth at one point. So, yes, the key now is Legett's got to step up, be able to take shoot,
4:56even if it's just 30% of his snaps at X receiver, which I don't think they were planning on this year. I think that was
5:02probably not in the cards with Brazil as that guy. Pressures on Leget now to do that to at least emerge as a viable
5:09threatening, you know, if not sacrificial exceiver at times this year to allow McMillan to play more in the slot. Okay, that's enough for me. I'm
5:17I'm going to throw now to the rest of the conversation with James Co. I think you guys will enjoy it. Let me know in
5:21the comments what you think. Uh, can McMillan play at least 25 to 30% in the slot? Love to hear what you guys have to
5:27say. Here's my conversation with James Co. right now. Our guy Cameron Wolf, man, he's like, "Hey, 1500 yards is a possibility for Tedoa McMillan. How much
5:37more can he be utilized in the slot? And are you buying this report that he may play more in the slot? Look at the
5:46release.
5:46>> There's your separation. Stutter and go.
5:49Gets by Cle.
5:50>> That is unbelievable.
5:51>> May be the greatest catch I've ever seen.
5:55>> Tech McMillan is expected to play more in the slot. That's a a new uh newish report from Cameron Wolf. Uh and Cameron
6:03Wolf is anticipating a huge uh jump in production as well. We're talking about a guy that last year uh in Tedoroa
6:10McMillan had 70 catches for 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. Uh our guy Cameron Wolf, man, he's like, "Hey, 1500 yards is a possibility for Tedoroa McMillan uh
6:22this year." And I think the major question is, okay, how much more can he be utilized in the slot? And are you
6:29buying this report that he may play more in the slot? Well, yeah. I think we can separate those into two different things
6:37here because like the 1500 yard part of it, >> we'll see about that.
6:42>> Yeah, we'll see about that. That that's just going to be that's going to involve a big change in just this passing
6:50ecosystem. Okay. So, that's the biggest thing.
6:53>> But, do I buy that he can play more in the slot? Absolutely.
6:58number one because it would be pretty difficult for him to play less in the slot than he did last year. There were
7:04117 wide receivers that ran at least 200 routes last season. Tedo McMillan >> his tw his 15.2% slot rate on passing
7:13plays ranked 101st.
7:16He is he is squarely >> in that like ex receiver bucket of Cland Sutton, Nico Collins and DK Metaf who
7:25are all 102nd to 104th on that list. So again just starting point it would be pretty difficult for him to play less in
7:35the slot. you know, uh, like him playing 20% in the slot, uh, you know, shoot, him playing 25%, that would obviously be
7:43a significant increase and I think a welcome increase. And honestly, before we we talk about McMillan and Carolina in part, like just in particular.
7:51>> Yeah, >> I generally think like 20% should be the bare minimum for like any any number one receiver. And I do
8:00think Tedo McMillan is a number one receiver. Um, I think he's got really good I think he's got a really good
8:06number two on his team, Jaylen Coker.
8:08And I think there's going to be times be especially if uh Tedaroa stays in this exon role, which again we're we're
8:15hypothesizing is not going to happen.
8:17But I actually think there would be times where their production could be kind of close like on a week- toeek basis, but that's obviously just because
8:22I think Jaylen Coker is a stud. I think he's awesome. Um, but you know, McMillan is he's a number one receiver. He
8:28definitely can be like I think those three names that I threw out there, Courtland Sutton, Nico Collins, DK Metaf, um Nico obviously is
8:36significantly better than just an exon only receiver type. He should be much more used in other formations and other alignments and everything like that and
8:46but and Courtland and Sun DK I'm like yeah those guys are ex only play.
8:49They're pretty much exon players but Tedaroa is definitely closer to like the guy that should not be just used at X. I
8:56definitely think he can be. Um I think he belongs and I said this in his prospect profile, he belongs in the kind
9:02of receiver family of like a Drake London type. Um I think Drake London was was a slightly better prospect than Tedoroa. Uh and you know obviously just
9:11seen more of Drake London in the league.
9:13That's not really like a fair comparison to line them up against each other right now. But a big part of unlocking Drake
9:18London was taking him from an ex-only alignment player and using him more off the ball than on the ball. the last two
9:26seasons and being a guy that was like 30 plus% in the slot. And that's I think we're not talking about turn Tedo
9:32McMillan into, you know, Chris Chris Godwin or Cooper Cup or, you know, something like that, but even having him be like a a 30 plus percent slot player
9:42like a Drake London, I definitely think uh it would be a significant difference.
9:46I will say this, there was only a hand or maybe a few games where he was over 20%, maybe like around 20% in regards to
9:55slot usage last year. And those were some really productive games for him.
10:00We're talking about uh he had a game against Buffalo where he had 10 targets, seven catches for 99 yards um against a
10:08Buffalo team there that uh where he played about 20% in the slot. Then he also uh in Atlanta um played 20% in the
10:17slot and again was hyper productive there too. 12 targets, eight catches, 130 yards and two touchdowns. So, um, so yeah, I mean, this is just at 20% usage,
10:28Matt, right? Like, [laughter] what does this look like if it ends up being 25 30% usage where, um, I do think that,
10:36you know, that he could get some more favorable matchups, a few more layup targets um, and utilize um, a little bit
10:44better in terms of what he can do after the catch here as well. So, um, yeah, this would be interesting, man. I tell
10:50you what, it would be really really interesting and I and I'll be interested to see how they move around some of the
10:55other guys too as you were mentioning.
10:56You know what I mean?
10:57>> Yeah. The other guys are the key part of this because um you know this is how this happens sometimes like remember I
11:03think it was that Falcons game actually and that was you know the 30 to 27 win in week 11. Um, you know, that was like
11:10a moment where even Dave Canal said like, "Yeah, this was a game where we intentionally not just put Tedo McMillan in the slot, but made sure to get him
11:18the ball when he was in the slot." Like designed plays for him to be there.
11:23>> Um, and you know, then of course people like, well, why weren't you doing that all along? Like what just you just
11:28figured that out? which I think is a really unfair criticism of Canales in that moment because you got to remember like the context of why McMillan wasn't
11:37playing in the slot more their receivers after you know they traded away Adam Thelen which ended up aging really well of that trade for them because he didn't
11:45even finish the season with Minnesota they got a fourth round pick back for that one and then like they trade Adam
11:50Thiel and then Jaylen Ker gets hurt right away their other receivers in the room were not just Xavier Legette but their their main slot receiver was
11:58Hunter Renfro And like Hunter Renfro in the year 2025, you know, all respect to him in the world after he took a year uh away from
12:05football, like he he medically retired, >> like he lost a bunch of weight, the whole deal. He's as slot only as slot
12:12only gets in the year 2025. So like you in order to play him as your third receiver, you can't then move the rookie
12:19Tettero McMillan around. And so that's why you as those as the season goes on here, you see games with that higher
12:27slot rate because Jaylen Coker was back and Coker is a guy I mean shoot look at him and in late in the season not just
12:33the playoff game against the Rams but even starting like the first game against the Rams. Jaylen Coker's like lining up as as the X receiver, the
12:40isolated X and winning on like big boy go routes. like he's not he's definitely in like the power slot family I think
12:46Jaylen Coker is but he's a big body who has good release moves against press man coverage and can play as a boundary
12:52receiver so he's a big part of why they'll be allowed to do this more and then drafting Chris Brazzle I think to
12:58push leg for the third receiver spot I think I don't think legette is like unplayable I think he's probably like a
13:06functional you know third or fourth receiver but he's not a guy that is he was never a guy that was going to be
13:11maximized at X but he's at least a bigger body that can credibly take snaps there. So, even with him, I think that's
13:17not the worst thing in the world, but like let's just say Brazzle, he's a key part of this, too, ends up emerging as
13:22that third receiver. Well, he's like a he's another big body perimeter vertical receiver. So, I actually think them drafting Brazil was a big indicator of
13:32their intentions to play McMillan Moore off the line of scrimmage and as a as a slot player here. I think that was kind
13:39of like a declaration of intent for them. And you know, Canalis even talked about like Brazil being a space clearer.
13:45Like essentially saying, "We think this guy can be a sacrificial ex receiver, which if you go look at like his profile, that's he obviously has a
13:53very incomplete profile. He's a he's a raw guy. is a work in progress, but you kind of hope that he can, and I I liked
13:58this guy better coming out of of college, but you kind of hope that he can be a uh an Alec Pierce player who
14:06starts out as very much a sacrificial X, but then by year four of his career, he's doing more than that. As we all
14:12know, Alec Pierce has now done more than that based on his final year with the Indianapolis Colts. So, I I do I do want
14:18to talk just a little bit more about McMillan individually and what he can do as a slot option and like his alignment,
14:22but the other guys are key to this, like Coker's emergence, drafting Brazil, and them being a team, James, that I think
14:29is going to go against the trend where everybody else is getting bigger and heavier and playing more tight ends. I kind of think this team spreads it out
14:36with bigbodied receivers and looks to exploit matchups with a little more motion, a little more creativity in the passing game as opposed to
14:44>> kind of what I think Canales like he comes from more of a heavier world and and wants to run the ball and all that
14:49stuff. I actually think this is a team that's going to spread it out, let Bryce Young play point guard, which is where I
14:54think he's best.
14:55>> Um, I'm really hoping for I like Excel, man. I I like Xavier Luette. I mean, obviously he's an incomplete player big
15:02time. Uh, but I really hope that for this upcoming season he never plays ex receiver. I hope he just o is always a
15:08flanker slot guy. Um, and that ends up giving some flexibility here. Um, for and again he should not be at this point
15:15he should not be a full-time player, right? Like that's just not >> no >> that's just not in the cards, you know.
15:19But like again, if we've got Brazle out there, if you got um Excel out there in the slot, and you got, you know, a
15:26little bit of um Teroa McMillan out there too, I I just I just want to see him kind of get into a position to
15:32succeed. I [snorts] think if Dave Canal can find uh get this guy on like, you know, deep overs or like drag routes,
15:40just something moving horiz treatment, you know, give him the Quentyn Johnson treatment and just let him kind of make plays uh sort of after
15:48the catch. Okay. Should we move on to New England or you got another point here?
15:52>> Just just real quick just on McMillan individually. So the again the key thing is yes the slot rate will definitely go
15:58up. Um in the games charter for reception perception he was 17.6%. I mentioned the full season 15.2%. So that's going to go up. There's no
16:06question about that. He also took zero snaps in the back field like stone zero in the games charted for RP. That's I
16:14think even getting that to you know 2% 3% would be like a big deal you know shoot we get up to like
16:22>> JSN right last year 6% 6.6% while he was still the most outside on ball receiver on the team you know where he's but but
16:32but again >> just a little bit of creativity a little bit of motion I think makes a big deal here. So really the thing to see is like
16:38the rate of snaps off the ball as well.
16:40He was on the line of scrimmage on 81% of his sample snaps. These are the guys he's like around. It's like Marvin
16:46Harrison Jr., uh, Romeo Dobs, ironically, we're going to talk about him. The other guys who are, uh, over 80% is like Alec Pierce, George
16:53Pickkins, Mike Evans, Nico Collins, and Kyle Williams. Like they're all just like pure exceeds. I just think he could be a little bit closer to like a JSN who
17:00was at 66%.
17:02And if we start to get into the Drake London zone, again, he's the I think the best kind of corlary here to this where
17:08his first two years under Arthur Smith, Drake London 85% snaps on the ball. Uh Drake London in year two 82% uh on the
17:15ball than these last two years under Zack Robinson in a much more motionheavy kind of more of Z receiver role. He's
17:21down to 47% and 46.7%.
17:24So, uh I think that's kind of the the key number to look for here. And my last point on all this is I definitely think
17:32that Tedo McMillan can can do it right.
17:35Uh while playing full X receiver, he was at about a 78% success rate versus zone, which is solid, but as a prospect, he
17:42was over 80%. Uh so I think that's something that him reading those coverages out, I think is a pretty good strength of his. his work in the
17:48intermediate area like getting on those big outbreaking routes from the slot on like sale concepts which I'm going to be obsessed with talking about this year
17:55because I think it's going to be a source of big plays for teams. Um I think that's going to be key for him.
18:00And then again the the real thing here to note is like you know who does want to do this more?
18:06>> Tedo McMillan. Like my conversation with him at the Super Bowl like and I I I might have linked this in his reception
18:12perception profile but if not you can find it uh on YouTube just my my interview with him. One of the things he
18:18talked about was um you know noting these receivers like JSN and Puka who move all around the formation. He was talking about this. He's like that's how
18:28you make sure you like your number one receiver doesn't get taken out of the game. You know, you got to get your
18:32playmakers the ball is like by moving them around and breaking all these coverages and stuff. And I just have done this long enough now and talked to
18:39enough players to know like when this guy who you said remember his the whole the whole the kurfuffle about him as a
18:45prospect was he doesn't actually watch tape he doesn't like football blah blah blah blah that the whole like nonsense thing that that video that went around
18:51with him when he's talking about like oh no I'm watching how these receivers are used and like those guys are getting the
18:56football a ton and like I need to get the football more I need to move around more that means like me I should be
19:01doing that I'm just know that that that's like what he is implying here so >> I'm sure this is been a conversation
19:07with him and the coaching staff and everything. I I then I do think that's why they took Chris Brazzle. I do think
19:13that's that's like a key thing of intent here, signing Cooker to the extension.
19:16So, I think they've got the guys to move McMillan around and I think he's got the skills to do it.
