Draft Darlings: WR Jalen McMillan would give the Chiefs an elite downfield offense

The Washington wide receiver would be a great fit in Kansas City.

In 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense needed a vertical threat; superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted the league’s sixth-lowest intended air yards per attempt.

Of course, part of that comes from NFL defenses adopting two-high safety looks against offenses like Kansas City’s. But it’s also true that after trading wideout Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs have been facing zone coverage less often; teams have been willing to play Cover 1, thereby daring Kansas City to beat them over the top. For the most of last season, the Chiefs couldn’t do that.

With the signing of free agent Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Kansas City took a step toward solving this problem. But they could still use another player who can take the top off an opposing defense — someone like Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan.

Here’s what you need to know about the former Husky.

Background

Coming out of San Joaquin Memorial high school in Fresno, California, McMillan was a four-star recruit who received offers from Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee — but decided to travel up the Pacific coast to Washington.

Redshirted as a freshman, McMillan got on his field in his second year, posting 39 catches for 470 yards and three touchdowns. The following year was his best for the Huskies. He registered 79 catches for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns, earning him an honorable mention for the All-Pac 12 team.

In 2023, McMillan hurt his knee in the season’s third matchup, causing him to miss four games and be limited in others. While he finished the regular season with a disappointing 45 catches for 559 yards and five scores, he had worked his way back to being a contributor. In Washington’s three postseason games, McMillan posted 20 catches, 222 yards and two touchdowns.

At the NFL Scouting Combine. McMillan measured 6 feet 1 and 197 pounds. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash (62nd percentile) with a 1.53-second 10-yard split (67th). He also posted a 10-foot-7 broad jump (83rd), a 37-inch vertical jump (69th), a 6.94-second three-cone drill (56th) and a 4.18-second short shuttle (61st).

Film evaluation

But those numbers don’t reflect McMillan’s elite athleticism.

On film, McMillian’s speed and explosiveness are special. He displays elite explosiveness off the line of scrimmage — and his high waist (and long legs) allow him to add more speed while deep into his routes. That’s a big advantage in vertical routes.

In fact, McMillan is simply one of the better vertical route runners you’re going to see. He has the speed to get past downfield defenders — and can also cut off his routes effectively; he can fake an over route and turn to the corner without losing any speed at all. And when he explodes off his outside foot on a post route, he just leaves guys in the dust.

But McMillan isn’t just a vertical route runner. Washington also used him for option routes from the backfield. Since no linebacker or safety could cover him one-on-one, this created real problems for defenses. This also allowed McMillan to be used in the screen game, where he used his field vision to create yards after the catch.

Still, this wide receiver’s underneath route tree remains limited. I believe that’s mostly the result of catching passes from Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. While he has an incredible arm, Penix struggles to throw underneath with accuracy. So the Huskies’ offense was designed to win with downfield routes and explosive plays.

Since McMillan showed good burst and timing on his option routes from the backfield, however, I see no reason he couldn’t be an effective target underneath.

How he fits with the Chiefs

In Kansas City, McMillan’s would fit right in. He’d essentially be a faster, more agile version of Marquez Valdes-Scantling. While he wouldn’t necessarily take reps as the X wide receiver (like Valdes-Scantling sometimes did), the Chiefs didn’t utilize that part of Valdes-Scantling’s skillset very often. But McMillan could run all the routes that Valdes-Scantling (and Justin Watson) have been getting — and McMillan is much more talented than either one.

And as he did in Washignton, McMillan would also thrive in motion and from the backfield — giving head coach Andy Reid opportunities to use him in creative ways.

The bottom line

If McMillan hadn’t been injured in 2023, we’d be giving him a first-round grade. He was on that trajectory in 2022 — but his injury (and the growth of players like Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk) have caused his stock to fall. So the Chiefs could buy low.

When you’re as athletic and fluid as McMillan is on vertical routes, you’re going to succeed in the NFL. And I love McMillan’s scalability. In Kansas City’s offense, he could not only function in space, but also destroy defenses playing man coverage on vertical routes and be effective on underneath routes. McMillan could draw the attention that Watson and Valdes-Scantling never could — and for the Chiefs, that would open many offensive opportunities.

Grade – Round 2