Buccaneers rookie Jalen McMillan makes highlight catch in final preseason game

Jalen McMillan is already making highlights at the next level. In the first quarter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ preseason showdown against the Miami Dolphins, the rookie wide receiver hauled in a jaw-dropping 28-yard catch.

Although McMillan couldn’t reach the end zone, he put the Buccaneers on the Dolphins’ four-yard line. Only one play later, Rachaad White punched it in to boost Tampa Bay to a 7-0 lead.

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The Buccaneers selected McMillan with the No. 92 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The reception on Friday evening was his third of the preseason. If McMillan’s past is any indication, Buccaneers fans can expect more where that came from.

J MAC WITH THE CATCH 🤯

📺: #MIAvsTB on WFLA pic.twitter.com/NbWv74gva3

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 23, 2024

McMillan spent four seasons at Washington, where he amassed 38 appearances. In the 2023 campaign, McMillan only played in 11 games due to injury but still tallied 559 receiving yards and five touchdowns en route to Washington’s first national championship appearance in the College Football Playoff era.

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When McMillan was healthy for the entire 2022 season, he amassed 1,098 receiving yards, the seventh-most in UW single-season history and third-most in the Pac-12. For his efforts, he was named an All-Pac-12 Third Team member.

Evidently, experts believe McMillan can carve out a role at the next level, as well. Ahead of the NFL Draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided an in-depth analysis of McMillan’s game while revealing his predictions for McMillan’s pro career.

“Slot target with good size and production over the last two seasons,” Zierlein wrote. “McMillan is a long-striding field-stretcher who is at his best with momentum routes in a West Coast passing scheme. He lacks aggression and play strength and could labor against press or when faced with contested catches.

“McMillan has adequate build-up speed to create opportunities down the field but needs the ball on target. Teams will need to determine if McMillan was a product of the impressive Washington passing scheme, or if he’s a stand-alone talent outside of UW.”

The Buccaneers will welcome McMillan’s pass-catching prowess with open arms. The team finished in the middle of the pack last season, only averaging 224.2 passing yards per game. With Jalen McMillan out wide, Tampa Bay will look to improve its aerial attack in the 2024 campaign.