NFL Mock Draft: Bills Select Late-Blooming South Carolina WR Xavier Legette

NFL Mock Draft: Buffalo Bills Select Late-Blooming South Carolina Gamecocks WR Xavier Legette

The Buffalo Bills could end up going a different route once the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft rolls around, but for now, their mock projections are staying locked on one position.

Buffalo selected yet another receiver at No. 28 overall in a recent mock draft from CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, though this pick feels a bit more unique than some others.

South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) takes the field for the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium / © Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY

Fornelli has Buffalo selecting South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette, who is the fifth receiver off the board in this particular mock. 

In his first four years at South Carolina, Legette was essentially an afterthought on offense and never eclipsed 170 yards receiving in a single season. But in 2023, he burst onto the scene and is now receiving first-round praise, an outcome many college players aim for but never get.

Legette might be the definition of a late bloomer. He had just 42 total catches, 423 yards and five receiving touchdowns across his first four years before posting 71 grabs for 1,255 yards and seven scores this past season, which was highlighted by six 100-yard games.

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Here's what Fornelli had to say about the selection:

"Here's a player I'm much higher on than the industry consensus. Legette doesn't have a ton of experience as a one-year starter with South Carolina, but he's a big body who can win down the field and make contested catches. There's a lot of learning left to do, but he would immediately fit as a downfield weapon in Buffalo and have the chance to become so much more."

The 2024 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25 in Detroit.