The Bucs’ 27-19 NFC South championship-clinching victory ended with 11th-year receiver Mike Evans making history, but on Sunday afternoon, rookie receiver Jalen McMillan made history of his own. Don’t forget that you created it.
McMillan etched his name in both franchise and NFL history with his 32-yard touchdown catch at 10:09 of the fourth quarter to give Tampa Bay a lead they couldn’t relinquish.
This is his fifth consecutive game with a receiving touchdown, the longest by a rookie since 2004, and second in league history behind Lee Evans (2004) and Chris Sanders (1995). This is the longest streak for a rookie player. The only player with a longer rookie record is Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (seven games in 1998).
McMillan not only finished the regular season with a touchdown in five consecutive games, but he also scored seven points in those five games. He tied future Hall of Famer and teammate Mike Evans and Bucks Ring of Honor member Jimmy Giles for the most touchdowns scored in a five-game span in franchise history.
He also became the second player to score seven touchdowns in five games in the 2024 NFL season, tying Triple Crown winner Ja’Marr Chase.
In 13 games played during his rookie year, McMillan caught 37 passes for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. Most of the production was incomplete. The 2024 third-round pick overcame a slow start and injury issues to have a promising rookie season, catching 20 passes for 316 yards and seven touchdowns in his final five games.
JMac’s ascension is crazy. He looked lost early in the season, and by the middle of the season you doubted he would be much of a consideration. Now he’s totally a problem. it happened very quickly
— John Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) January 5, 2025
Jalen McMillan looks like the guy the Bucks expected him to be
When the Bucks were able to select Jalen McMillan in the third round of the 2024 draft, they were understandably excited. An MCL sprain limited him to just 45 catches for 559 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games in his final season with Washington, but he ended the season with 79 catches for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns. he had in 2022 That was proof of his ceiling.
Had it not been for the injury in 2023, he would have been drafted higher, but in reality, fellow Huskies receivers Rome Odunze (9th overall to the Bears) and Jalin Polk (37th overall to the Patriots) I won. His.
But it didn’t take long for Tampa Bay to realize some of the potential the team expected from him with the No. 92 pick in the draft. McMillan was one of the stars of the offseason and quickly developed a strong rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield. at training camp He played well in the preseason as well.
That’s why it was surprising that the rookie couldn’t really hit the ground running when the regular season started. He caught a 32-yard touchdown in his NFL debut against the Commanders, but had just three catches on six targets in his first three games. After that, he was out of action in Weeks 4 and 5 due to a hamstring injury, and didn’t do much in Week 6, but in Weeks 7 and 8, he had 15 targets for 50 yards. There were only seven of them.
He was inactive again in Week 9 after re-aggravating his hamstring, and then did not play in Week 10 despite being active. Heading into his bye week, it looked like a disappointing rookie season for a receiver who showed great promise early on over the summer.
But then Macmillan turned on the switch. They won in the final stages and finished the season with a five-game winning streak. Considering his performance late in the season as the Bucks went up 6-1, it’s easy to imagine even bigger things are in store for McMillan. Fellow history-maker Mike Evans said the same thing Sunday after the win over New Orleans.
“J-Mac has been really strong in the second half of the season,” Evans said. “He got injured first, but like I’ve said all year, he’s a hell of a player. Longtime Bucks fans are going to have to keep an eye on J-Mac, because he’s a hell of a player. Because he’s a player [and] He’s a great teammate. ”
if Bucks successfully re-sign Chris Godwin This offseason, they will enter 2025 with one of the NFL’s most formidable wide receiver trios and one of its most lethal offenses.