CHARLOTTE — Tetairoa McMillan knows the one-handed catches have become "a thing."

How can they not?

A top 10 receiver extending his 6-4 frame over defensive backs with what looks like ease to the observer, sticking one arm out and coming in with the ball secured despite physics saying it shouldn't have been possible?

And to do this as a rookie in his first training camp?

How could the one-handed catches not become a thing?

The only issue: McMillan doesn't want them to be "a thing."

"Y'all might not believe me, but I only catch one-handed if I need to," laughed the rookie receiver following Friday's training camp practice. "But that's only going to expand the horizon, give the quarterback an easier target to throw to, just having a bigger catch radius, just being quarterback-friendly."

Still, "I only do it if I need to."

Wednesday was one of those days McMillan and Bryce Young needed it. The practice that Canales referred to as McMillan's best yet came courtesy of a lot of resilience after what McMillan himself referred to as down days, and expanding his catch radius to help Young.

"Sometimes the ball finds you, sometimes the ball doesn't, but you know (Wednesday) just happened to be a good day for me," McMillan recalled.

Added Canales, "He's learning how to play that game and, you know, just continue to use his body. Just shows a lot of confidence and belief, you know, he's had some pretty bad plays throughout camp, and he's had some excellent plays, and I think, when you have a guy, he's teaching me stuff about him that I don't know, just looking at his character."

The No. 8 overall pick in this year's draft began the day with a grab in individual drills that paid homage to Carolina's own by mimicking the Jumpman logo on his gloves. Then, during team drills, McMillan squared up against Corey Thornton on a deep pass from Young, sticking his left arm out as far as it would go and palming the ball, locking it against his legs for possession.

It was another one-handed catch, which he reiterates won't be a thing, but will be in his bag.

"Oh, it has to be," smiled McMillan. "I tell everybody it's my job, and it's like you said earlier, it's any way I can find to separate myself as a receiver, I'm going to do that."

Separating himself has taken time, and will take more. Despite being one of the best receiver prospects in the draft, McMillan has admittedly run into a buzzsaw with Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, and the Panthers' defensive backs.

"Sometimes, even the best get got, you know, sometimes you get exposed, but, just being able to be confident in your preparation, being able to be confident in your abilities—the confidence is going to take you as far as you want it to take you, so, I feel like that's where my resilience come from for sure.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it," McMillan said. "I'll be the first to tell you, the first couple of days I struggled a little bit, and you know that's hats off to the the DB corps just making me better every single day and, it's just one of those days where I was just on point that day and hopefully we can continue stacking those days."

McMillan knows stacking those days will look different in the league than it did in college. For starters, the regular season is five weeks longer. The offseason begins much sooner and is extended throughout the summer. And the break before a possible postseason run is shortened. So McMillan is preparing now.

"I've been in the facility early trying to get some treatment, trying to eat healthy, changing my diet, stuff like that, just doing little things. I want to play this game as long as I possibly can, and why not start now," pointed out McMillan.

"So, I'm going to find those things that just keep on trying to make me the best version of myself I can be, and we'll see how far we can take it."

The other obstacle to stacking days?

The Arizona product is getting pressed at the line a lot more than he did at the college level. That's not to say opposing defenses will always do the same in games. But if they do, the Panthers want to ensure their rookie is ready.

"Obviously I'm a big body receiver, but I would say I'm pretty smooth just for being a big body receiver, but, you know, it's a different play style and like I said earlier, the refs, you know, you got to earn your stripes to get some calls and, so I got to fight pressure, just be more physical and I've been doing that."

And if that requires getting flashy with a one-handed catch, so be it; the point is to make the play no matter what. That, more than anything else, is what Tetairoa McMillan wants to be his "thing."

"At the end of the day, my job is to catch the ball, so if it touches my hands, it's my obligation to catch it and come down with it."