CHARLOTTE — Some might say this would be a better story if Tetairoa McMillan and Mason Graham had predicted how it would end. There's a version of this story that reads like a fairy tale, an invisible string bringing two high school teammates to the NFL at the same time, destiny at work.

But McMillan will be the first to admit, back then, when the two were both at Servite High School in Southern California, he never saw it happening.

"Naw," he chuckles when asked about the possibility.

But he was lying, though, right?

"No," he reiterates, with a shake of the head.

Servite is a talent-rich school that has produced (including McMillan and Graham) 17 players who went on to the NFL, including former Panthers' players Steve Beuerlein, Ryan Kalil, and Matt Kalil, along with cornerback Keith Taylor and former quarterbacks coach Turk Schonert. The Friars won a state championship, their third in school history, the year after Graham and McMillan went to college.

It's the kind of roster that can be easy to get lost in, even for talented guys. Skill players like McMillan at receiver and corner can stand out a bit more, which he did, becoming a four-star recruit according to 247Sports and being named the third-best receiver in the 2022 class.

Those in the trenches, like Graham, take more time to grow into the kind of player they can become. He would eventually earn a fourth star as well on his recruiting profile, but it took time until that last year in high school.

So when it came to predicting how far down this road both guys could go, McMillan "never thought of the NFL," at least at first.

Following joint practice between the Panthers and Browns on Wednesday, Graham thought back to that time, trying to imagine what he'd say to those two high school kids in Cali back in 2021 who wondered how far they'd go.

"You're crazy," he laughed. "I mean, we both have the talent and drive and work ethic to get here, but you know, doing that, making that actually happen is pretty crazy."

Still, "He was nice. He was real good," TMac said of Graham's high school athletic ability, emphasizing again, "real good."

Then, while McMillan was at Arizona, Graham went to Michigan and put together a freshman campaign that included 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one pass defended. Even from across the country, McMillan saw the teammate he always knew was talented grow into the game-wrecker he always knew was inside.

"When we got to college, from me since his freshman year, he was nice," McMillan said.

The duo each played three years at their respective colleges. In that time, Graham finished with 108 tackles from the DT position, three passes defended, and 9.0 sacks. McMillan, with the Wildcats, finished with 209 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns (averaging 69 rec-1,141 yds-8.6 TD a year).

Suddenly, that distant possibility of both making it to the league together started to feel a lot more realistic.

"I know it's hard to describe, it's definitely special, and it's a testament to those two guys and everything that they've done," bragged Servite volleyball coach Matt Marrujo, who coached McMillan on the hardwood and got to know Graham during his time there as well.

"All the work and stuff that they've put in over the last, you know, from the four years with us and three years in college, and they're just, the best thing about both of them, they're just incredible, incredible young men and great examples of our school and, they just check every box and I think the best way to describe them, they're just great, great guys, as well as obviously talented football players."

Draft pundits agreed, and as the two trained together leading up to the 2025 draft, they allowed themselves to finally start dreaming: what would it take for them to both go in the Top 10? What would it take for at least one of them to get into the Top 5?

"I mean, we always talked about it during the training process," admitted Graham. "We wanted to be those two guys that could do that, and we made it happen, and we're just trying to make our mark in the league now.

"We would always joke with each other about where we're going. He's always said top 5, and I said the same thing about him."

For TMac, though, the topic was less of a fun conversational debate and more of a given.

"I knew the whole time he was going before me, like a fact."

He believed enough for the both of them.

The Browns originally held the No. 2 overall pick. There were months of debate on how it should be spent, but come draft night, Cleveland elected to make a trade. Jacksonville got the No. 2 pick and two-player Travis Hunter. The Browns moved back to No. 5 overall. It ended up putting them in the perfect position to take the highest drafted defensive tackle, Mason Graham.

When he got the call in the green room, his high school teammate was standing right next to him.

"I was fired up. I think I was more hyped seeing him get drafted than I was myself," McMillan said this week, reliving the moment ahead of their first joint practice together. "The whole time I wanted him to go before me."

By the end of the night, both would walk out of the holding room in Green Bay as Top 10 picks since the Panthers drafted TMac three picks later at No. 8 overall, a badge of honor to wear the rest of their lives.

But McMillan, the storied recruit and one of the highest-rated prospects in the draft, was so passionate about Graham being taken first.

Why?

"I don't know," he admitted, pushing aside his lunch to fold his arms on the table and really think about the answer, drilling down on why he was so adamant it should and would happen.

"I think," he began, pausing, then starting again, "I think he deserved it. I think—because even before the college season, like our last college season started, I always said he was the best player in the country."

Unfettered support aside, the two are still competitors playing an intense game. It's unlikely they will draw an assignment facing off against each other in Friday's first preseason game, but just like in Wednesday's joint practice, they will be on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage for the first time in their career.

"It's going to be a long day for him," joked McMillan.

During their off time, they plan to get dinner together, and now that they both bring Top 8 money to the table, Graham has promised there will be an intense debate, maybe even a game of credit card roulette, to decide who picks up the bill.

But when all is said and done Friday night, they'll walk off the field the same way they arrived; maybe a little shell-shocked they actually made it, but teammates till the end.

Said Graham, "That's always been my guy, and it's cool to see us at the highest level playing against each other."