Back when Jalen McMillan was drafted by the Bucs in the third round of the 2024 Draft, there was a lot of talk about him being a potential steal given his draft position.

After all, perhaps the only real reason the former Washington wide receiver landed where he did was the injury-riddled 2023 season he had. Because even in an offense that featured a top-10 receiver in Rome Odunze and a second-round selection in Ja’Lynn Polk, McMillan still found ways to produce and stand out.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It hasn’t taken the rookie long to showcase why so many were (and still are) calling him a steal for the Bucs. McMillan has been one of the stars of training camp so far for Tampa Bay, and it’s clear he’s made a big impression on a lot of Tampa Bay’s top defenders.

In fact, several players on the Buccaneer defense were asked about McMillan last week. All of them had rave reviews for the 22-year-old.

Lavonte David, who has seen plenty of great football players in his now 13-year career, was very complimentary of the Bucs’ newest playmaking wide receiver.

“He [has] a motor, man. He goes. He understands, he takes coaching,” David said. “That’s something that I noticed from the first day. He takes coaching. He looks you in the eyes, you know, ‘Yes sir, no sir,’ and just wants to get better. Me and him talk from time to time. We won’t talk about ball really. We just talk to get to know each other and stuff like that.

“So I see that he’s one of those guys who’s going [to], you know, definitely contribute early for us. He’s a playmaker. You see it out there already. Baker [Mayfield] is finding him. He’s getting open. He knows how to get open and he’s real savvy for a young guy. He’s definitely going to make plays for us.”

Bucs Secondary Has Gotten Plenty Familiar With Jalen McMillan

And then there are the guys in the Tampa Bay secondary, who match up with McMillan daily. Veteran cornerback Jamel Dean pointed “J-Mac” out as one of the players who had really stood out to him during the first week of training camp and called him a “great addition” to the team’s offense.

Another veteran cornerback, free agent signee Bryce Hall, has been impressed with the technical side of the wide receiver’s game.

Bucs WR Jalen McMillan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I think he’s very crafty for a young guy, just kind of understanding how to change the pace,” Hall said Saturday. “He’s very quick, he’s fast and then also he has a good change of directions, knowing how to set up routes, making things look the same. I think he just makes plays. He has really good hands.

“For a young guy, I think that’s key. I think Mike (Evans) and Chris (Godwin) and some of those other guys in the room — Shep (Sterling Shepard) — I think they’re starting to help him a lot, just slow the game down. I think you can see that now.”

Jalen McMillan definitely is a crafty receiver, but another aspect of his game is what has caught the attention of veteran safety Jordan Whitehead.

“He’s sneaky fast,” Whitehead said. “He’s deceiving when he gets up on you quick,” Whitehead said last week. “He has a lot of good stems and movement, head-wise, in running routes. It keeps you on your toes as a defender [because] you don’t know if he’s going to stop or go deep. He’s always just playing around with you. Then, in zone [coverage], he’s getting open and he finds the open spot. We’ll see how it is coming into our first preseason game – I’m excited to see the young guys play.”

.@jalenmcmillan20 hit ’em with that one-handed grab 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Z3jRA0naQv

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 2, 2024

With the Bucs opening their preseason schedule this Saturday in Cincinnati, it’ll be a big opportunity for McMillan to translate his phenomenal camp performance to a game setting. The upcoming joint practices with Jacksonville and Miami will be a couple more unique chances for the rookie receiver to continue adjusting to life in the NFL and in the Tampa Bay offense before he gets his first regular season action on Sept. 8.

But if the next couple of weeks go as well as the first week and a half of camp went for the No. 92 overall pick in this year’s draft, Jalen McMillan will be well-set up to outperform his draft status when it comes time for the games to count.