What happened: Tetairoa McMillan landed at No. 87 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026, the list voted on by the players themselves. He joins a wave of Panthers earning recognition on the countdown heading into the 2026 season.

Why it matters: McMillan is positioned as the centerpiece of Carolina's passing game, the kind of featured target whose role only grows in year two. Receivers in that spot tend to climb fast once the volume and the targets follow, which is why slotting him in the 80s reads more like a starting point than a verdict.