 McMillan in 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | (1995-11-17)November 17, 1995 (age 29) Midway, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Liberty County(Hinesville, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Ohio State (2014–2016) | ||||||||||||||
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2017: 2nd round, 54th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Raekwon McMillan (born November 17, 1995) is an American professionalfootballlinebacker. He playedcollege football atOhio State and was selected by theMiami Dolphins in the second round of the2017 NFL draft. He has also played for theLas Vegas Raiders,New England Patriots, andTennessee Titans.
McMillan was born inMidway, Georgia. He was named after rapperRaekwon of theWu-Tang Clan.[1][2] He attendedLiberty County High School inHinesville, Georgia. He won the High SchoolButkus Award in 2013.[3] McMillan was a five-star recruit byRivals.com and was the top-rankedinside linebacker in his class.[4]
McMillan playedcollege football at Ohio State. As a freshman in 2014, he appeared in 13 games making 54tackles, 2.5sacks, aninterception returned for 24 yards, and a pass defended. As a sophomore in 2015, he played 13 games with 119 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four passes defended, and afumble recovery. As a junior in 2016, he played 13 games with 102 tackles, two sacks, five passes defended, and two forced fumbles. After his junior year, McMillan declared his intentions to enter the2017 NFL draft.[5]
McMillan received an invitation to theNFL Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. He also participated at Ohio State's highly anticipatedpro day, but opted to only run positional drills.[6] Seven general managers and nine head coaches attended Ohio State's pro day to scout McMillan and ten other prospects.[7] McMillan had private workouts and visits with 11 teams that included theCincinnati Bengals,New England Patriots,Miami Dolphins,Pittsburgh Steelers,Kansas City Chiefs,Washington Redskins,Baltimore Ravens,Detroit Lions,New York Jets,Oakland Raiders, andNew Orleans Saints.[8][9][10][11] The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected McMillan to be selected in the second or third round.[12] He was ranked the second best inside linebacker in the draft by NFL analystBucky Brooks, the third best inside linebacker by NFLDraftScout.com, the fifth best linebacker bySports Illustrated, and was ranked the tenth best linebacker in the draft byESPN.[13][14][15]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Raekwon McMillan’s NFL Combine Workout | |
| Raekwon McMillan runs a 4.61 40-yard dash |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 240 lb (109 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.61 s | 1.61 s | 2.69 s | 4.39 s | 7.15 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[12][6][16] | ||||||||||||
The Dolphins selected McMillan in the second round (54th overall) of the2017 NFL draft.[17] He was the seventh linebacker selected in 2017.[18] On May 5, 2017, the Dolphins signed McMillan to a four-year, $4.69 million contract with $3.16 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.55 million.[19]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Dolphins draft Raekwon McMillan 54th overall |
McMillan enteredtraining camp slated as the starting strongside linebacker afterKoa Misi retired due to a neck injury. He impressed coaching staff and learned all three linebacker positions. McMillan remained the apparent front-runner throughout camp, but saw minor competition fromMike Hull andNeville Hewitt.[20][21]
On August 10, 2017, McMillan made his professional debut in the Miami Dolphins’ first preseason game against theAtlanta Falcons, but left the game after suffering an apparent knee injury. The following day, it was confirmed that he had a torn anACL and had abruptly ended his rookie season.[22] On September 2, 2017, the Miami Dolphins officially placed McMillan oninjured reserve.[23]
McMillan entered training camp slated as the de facto starting middle linebacker. Head coachAdam Gase named McMillan the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season, along with outside linebackersKiko Alonso and rookieJerome Baker.[24] He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Dolphins’ season-opener against theTennessee Titans and recorded six combined tackles during their 27–20 victory.[25] On December 23, 2018, McMillan collected a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) during the Dolphins’ 17–7 loss against theJacksonville Jaguars in Week 16.[26] He started in all 16 games in 2018 and recorded 105 combined tackles (69 solo), two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection.[27]
McMillan entered the 2019 season as the Dolphins starting middle linebacker. He played in 13 games before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15. He was placed on injured reserve on December 17, 2019.[28]
On August 29, 2020, McMillan was traded to theLas Vegas Raiders, along with a 2021 fifth-round draft pick, for a 2021 fourth-round draft pick, which they eventually re-acquired in a trade forLynn Bowden[29] He played 16 games during the2020 season, primarily on special teams, making 27 total tackles.[30]
On March 19, 2021, McMillan signed with the Patriots.[31] He suffered atorn ACL in practice and was placed on injured reserve on August 7, 2021, missing the2021 season.[32][33]
He signed a one-year contract extension through 2022 on September 27, 2021.[34] McMillan entered the2022 season as a starting linebacker alongsideJa'Whaun Bentley, but was relegated to special teams and a backup player as the season progressed. He finished the season with 35 tackles, one sack, and a fumble recovery touchdown.[35]
On March 10, 2023, McMillan signed a contract extension with the Patriots.[36] On May 25, it was announced that McMillan had suffered a partially tornAchilles tendon atorganized team activities and would be placed on season-ending injured reserve, missing the entirety of his2023 season once again.[37]
Despite the injury, McMillan signed a one–year, $2.25 million contract extension with the Patriots on August 14, 2023.[38] He played nine games for the Patriots during the2024 season, making 45 total tackles.[39] He was waived on November 8, 2024.[40]
On December 24, 2024, McMillan was signed to theTennessee Titans practice squad, and promoted to the active roster four days later.[41][42] He contributed to the final two games of theTitans' 2024 season, recording one tackle.[39]
