CHARLOTTE — Tetairoa McMillan holds himself to a high standard—an extremely high standard.

"I'm my biggest fan and my biggest critic," said McMillan on Monday, following his four-reception, 62-yard day against the Patriots on Sunday.

On one hand, he's had a lot to be a fan of. The rookie receiver is currently 12th overall in the entire league with 278 total receiving yards. He's averaging 69.5 yards per game, a pace that—if he keeps—would place him in the Top 11 of receivers' rookie seasons in NFL history.

But the No. 8 overall pick is looking less at the future right now and more at the immediate missed opportunities. He and Bryce Young have connected for 18 receptions this season, on 35 targets. He's averaging 15.4 yards per catch, but a 51.43 completion percentage with his QB.

"I'm definitely not happy about a few missed opportunities that I've had in the past couple of games," admitted McMillan, who averaged seven receptions a game his final year at Arizona. "And I feel like that's just me, just trying to do too much, just overthinking. At the end of the day, I just got to play my game, something that I know best, and I have full confidence in my hands, and I got to continue to stay confident.

"I think the biggest thing for me is after those missed opportunities is just trying to go make the next play, you know, just, the opportunity that comes after that it's my job to go make it."

Some of the passes McMillan is labeling missed opportunities were admittedly just plain drops. Some were due to miscommunication between him and Young. Some were not catchable for the majority of receivers, but the 6-5 McMillan, who has shown a propensity for one-handed grabs, believes they are within his catch radius.

All of those things carry the qualifier that McMillan has played only four games in the NFL, which calls for a level of grace that the rookie tries to give himself, but has trouble doing so at times.

"Yeah, most definitely, it's my first season," began McMillan, before quickly continuing, "whatever, but that's not an excuse. I try not to use that excuse, and it shouldn't be an excuse.

"So, just staying confident is the biggest thing for me; people make mistakes, we're not perfect, so just being able to go to the next play and continue to make plays.

Young, for his part, took responsibility for any missed plays with his top receiver on Sunday, telling reporters after the 42-13 loss, "I take accountability for that. It's on me; I missed some opportunities. We'll watch film and I'll be better. We'll all be better."

"It was some near misses there," agreed Canales of the connection, or lack thereof, at times, between the two. "That's something we got to look at on film and just make sure that they're on the same page."

McMillan, it should be noted, is being asked to handle primary receiver duties in his rookie season. Some of that is due to various injuries, such as to Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette, and most recently, David Moore; some due to the trading of Adam Thielen this offseason, and some to the simple fact he was a Top 10 pick. That will inevitably mean some growing pains during these early games, though.

However, to the Arizona product, growing pains—while a part of the game—are no excuse.

"Whether it's my first season or my last season, I try to be the best I possibly can be, and I know I have more to offer," promised McMillan. "I know I have more in the tank, so just seeing those missed opportunities that I should have had, it's like I know I can make those plays, and I try not to harp on it.

"So, I try not to harp on it for too long and just have that next play mentality, and I definitely have to fix some areas for sure."

When the full unit is back on the field together, presumably the rookie would receive less attention thanks to the sheer fact he won't be one of only three receivers on the field as he was by the end of game Sunday. It should also provide breathing room for not only Tetairoa McMillan, but every guy in the room to bring their only special flair to the Panthers' offense.

"I think we complement each other well," said McMillan. "We have a lot of different guys in the receiving room that can do different things and can excel at different parts of the game, and I have full confidence in any of our receivers to go out there and make a play, and I feel like we complement each other well.

"We all specialize in different things, and for the most part, all of us are pretty diverse. So you can put us anywhere and we'll get the job done. So, like I said, I'm just confident in our room."