College coach raves about NFL Draft prospect who recently met with Cincinnati Bengals

In an effort to form a new wide receiver trio, the Cincinnati Bengals could select one of Washington's three star receivers in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Former Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan appears to be on the Bengals' radar during Day 2 of the draft. The team recently hosted him for a top 30 visit, and his skillset as a slot receiver with outside experience is exactly what their offense is lacking.

McMillan may end up going off the board after his former teammates Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk, but someone who scouted and coached against him believes he's as good as both of them. 

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg talked to several anonymous college coaches around the country to get their takes on players they feel are underrated in this year's class. 

One PAC-12 coach gave high marks to McMillan, even claiming he's just as good as Odunze and Polk.

"Rome Odunze was great, Ja'Lynn Polk was great, but McMillan was just as good as any of them. He was hurt, and that's probably why he's not as talked about, but I wouldn't bet against that kid." - Anonymous PAC-12 coach

McMillan's entire body of work is what will get him drafted within the first 100 picks, but his final college season may end up costing him. 

Washington was in the spotlight for most of the 2023 season, but McMillan missed games in the middle of the year with a knee injury. The timing couldn't have been worse since he averaged over 100 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Huskies' first three games before he went down.

It took McMillan until the very end of the season to get back on track, and his monster outing against Oregon helped secure a College Football Playoff berth for Washington. Those outings also carry weight in how NFL teams view him, as well as his former opposing coaches.

There's a lot that goes in to determining a wide receiver the Bengals would target with an early round selection, and McMillan checks most of those boxes. He's on the short list of receivers with a good chance of coming to Cincinnati next week.