Jalen McMillan 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

Jalen McMillan 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profile

Position: WR

School: Washington 

Class: RS-Junior

Date of Birth: December 7, 2001

Height: 6-1  Weight: 197 lbs

Athletic Testing

Bio

Jalen McMillan was a three-sport athlete at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, California. There, he starred in football as well as baseball, and track & field. In fact, he received college offers from both USC and Oklahoma to play both baseball and football. McMillan opted to focus on football, though, earning a four-star recruiting grade after racking up over 5,000 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns during his high school career. He ranked as the No 8 wide receiver in the nation and received offers from 25 schools, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, and others. 

McMillan played minimally in his true freshman season, catching just one pass in four games before taking a redshirt. He earned a more prominent role in 2021 when he led the team with 470 receiving yards on 39 receptions. McMillan continued his ascension in 2022, starting 7-of-13 games and hauling in 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns. 

However, due to injury and the improved play of his teammates, McMillan found himself slipping down the hierarchy of targets in 2023.  An early season knee injury forced him to miss four games but he still managed to play in 11 and start seven. McMillan wound up fourth on the team in receptions behind fellow wide receivers Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, as well as tight end Jack Westover. McMillan ended the season with 45 receptions, 559 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns. It was a somewhat disappointing finish after such a promising 2022 campaign.

College Stats

Jalen McMillan College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference

Positives

+Natural Hands 

+Alignment Versatility 

+Route Running 

+Extensive Route Tree

+Ball Tracking

+Body Control 

+6.1 best season receptions per game (2022)

+6 career rush attempts (1 TD) & 9 career kick returns 

+Age 20 breakout (RS-Sophomore season)

Negatives

-Thin Frame 

-Struggles vs physical defenders 

-Struggles in contested catch situations 

-Focus Drops

-1.92 best season yards per team pass attempt (2022)

-25.4% best season Dominator Rating (2022)

-Production drop-off from 2022 to 2023

Highlight Reel

Archetype: Possession WR

NFL Comp: TBD

Yards Per-Formance Grade: 32.6 (52nd-percentile)

Draft Projection: Third/Fourth Round

Bottom Line:

Jalen McMillan is a well-rounded wide receiver with the versatility to play both outside and from the slot. He has good enough speed to beat defenses vertically, plus the route running savvy to create separation in the short and intermediate areas of the field as well. McMillan is a proficient route runner who especially thrives versus zone coverage. He runs just about the whole route tree. He may struggle against physical defenders and press coverage but he has the strong hands and toughness to make plays over the middle of the field. 

McMillan projects as a versatile receiver in the NFL who will be at his best from the slot where he can fully maximize his skill set (and cover up his weaknesses), but he will certainly kick outside and take snaps at Z. This is a pro-ready wide receiver. He will factor into a team’s wide receiver rotation early on with the upside to develop into a steady starter. He may not have the highest of ceilings but it’s hard to see him not succeeding. Some team is likely to identify him as a plug-and-play option and snag him in the third round of the NFL Draft. In dynasty, he is one of many wide receiver options to consider in the third round of our rookie drafts. If you like a safe pick in those rounds, Jalen McMillan might be your guy.

NEXT: Bo Nix 2024 Dynasty Rookie Profile

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