NFL Opportunity is Everything Donovan McMillon Dreamed Of

McMURRAY, Pa. — Donovan McMillon sat at the corner of his aunt and uncle’s outdoor bar on their deck with heaters surrounding him an a chilly day in Western Pennsylvania. Outside of a few hugs and a couple spare trips inside, he was locked into the television and his two phones as the final two rounds progressed in the 2025 NFL Draft.

With his loved ones on either side, McMillon watched as the selections passed him by with some of his former Florida and Pitt teammates hearing their names called. He was just waiting for that phone to ring.

A couple of calls did come in, but nothing from a National Football League organization. The draft came to an end and McMillon was undrafted.

Not even before the final selection chimed in on the TV, McMillon finally received a FaceTime that brought an undeniable smile to his face. It was Cleveland Browns safeties coach Ephraim Banda.

McMillon called for the hat off the wall as he is officially headed to Cleveland as a priority free agent and before the call came to an end, he had a few messages for the Browns assistant coach.

“I’m going to go through and be the best safety you got,” he said. “Send me that playbook tonight because I’m already on it.”

The moment Pitt safety and Peters Township product Donovan McMillon found out he was heading to the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent. pic.twitter.com/jU37Uk7X11

— Nathan Breisinger (@NateBreisinger) April 26, 2025

Although McMillon hoped to get drafted, joining an NFL franchise at the end of the day was the goal regardless.

“It’s still unimaginable,” McMillon exclusively told Pittsburgh Sports Now at his draft party Saturday. “It’s a lot right now. I’m happy. I’m excited. I’m pumped. I’m a Brown. I’m going to the NFL. That’s my goal my whole entire life.”

Once off the phone, McMillon embraced his parents, girlfriend and the countless other friends and family that stuck out the long day with him.

“They’re my ride or dies,” McMillon said. “My goal was to get drafted. It didn’t happen, but guess what? They’re the first ones next to me the entire draft making me happy, making me cheer up, making me smile. As soon as I got the call that I got a chance to be a Brown, they were right next to me. I’m entirely blessed. Greatest family on the Earth.”

For McMillon and his family, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that it was Cleveland. The Browns had expressed interest for a while now, including lengthy phone and zoom calls. Earlier in the day, McMillon even called his shot that he would land in the AFC North.

The Browns made a few trades that left them without a selection past the fifth round, but there were signs that pointed towards the Browns and it started with Banda. The safeties coach spent years at the college level, including at Miami where he recruited McMillon when he was a four-star prospect coming out of Peters Township High School.

Once he watched McMillon’s tape, he knew that the Pitt safety would be a perfect fit for the Browns.

“They got coach Banda. He went through and recruited me at Miami when I was young, unpolished, raw. He gets the opportunity to coach me. I’m excited for his plan for me,” McMillon said.

Donovan McMillon signs with the Cleveland Browns during NFL draft party on April 26, 2025 / Nathan Breisinger. PSN.

From the time McMillon held a combine-themed birthday party as a kid, his father, Darrin, knew football could become something special.

“You can just tell that was his sport,” Darrin said. “The interesting thing about it was, we swore for years and years wrestling was going to be the one. He would stand on the smaller side. He made plays in football, but he just wasn’t big enough and then all of a sudden, I think his confidence in the sport of football when he started growing, he started being an incredible player.”

Darrin, an assistant coach for Peters Township football, was ecstatic that his son was headed to the NFL. He called what seemed like everyone in his contacts. As a coach and a mentor, he played an integral role in shaping his son into a professional athlete no matter how overlooked he was.

“Him and just like my other three sons, they’ve always been kind of counted out. We live in a township that our football program has been counted out for many years. They always were underneath the concept of, ‘We got to be that much better than everyone,” Darrin said.

Going undrafted has certainly put a chip on McMillon’s shoulder, especially entering a division known for its toughness.

“I’m going to go play the Ravens, I’m going to play the Steelers and I’m going to go play the Bengals everyday,” McMillon said. “They’re going to run the ball. Derrick Henry’s going to run the ball and they’re going to have someone have to tackle them and go make plays.

“AFC North, I’m excited for it. It’s a vicious division and only certain people can live in it and I’m excited to go show who I am.”

Jerseys and helmets of Donovan McMillon graced the walls at his draft party. April 26, 2025 / Nathan Breisinger. PSN.

Everywhere you turned at McMillon’s draft event, there were signs of his time at Florida and Pitt with jerseys, helmets, newspaper clippings and everything in between.

Yet, it was at his hometown program in Pitt that developed him into an NFL safety. In back-to-back seasons, McMillon posted 100-plus tackles. It led to invites to the Hula Bowl and soon thereafter, the East-West Shrine Bowl.

“I would never be in this situation without Coach Narduzzi, Coach Sanders, Coach Bates, Coach Collins. The whole Pitt organization, they brought me in from the portal from Florida and really changed me into the person I am today. I can’t thank them enough. It was everything to me to be able and go play for the Panthers. They put me in this position today to wear this hat. I’m a Panther for life,” McMillon said.

McMillon begins his journey with the Browns in over a week at their rookie minicamp from May 8-10.