Inside the Pick: Scouting New Panthers WR Xavier Legette

A closer look at the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Oct 21, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and plumes have been billowing out of the top of Bank of America Stadium for a few days now.

After rampant speculation and countless links between the two, the Carolina Panthers selected South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Carolina swapped the 33rd overall pick and a 2024 5th rounder for the 32nd overall pick and a 2024 6th rounder with the Buffalo Bills.

A few days ago Legette went on record saying, “I've met with the Panthers 4 or 5 times… They keep telling me that if I'm sitting at (pick) 33 they're going to take me.” Turns out they couldn’t wait until pick 33 to keep their guy in the Carolinas.

The second-team All-SEC wideout has an interesting story. A high school quarterback turned receiver in college, Legette took some time to break out. He dealt with injuries and it took him a few years to find his groove and make an impact on Shane Beamer’s run-and-gun offense. In his fifth year at South Carolina, he capitalized on his chance to make that impact. 

Legette hauled in 71 passes for 1,255 yards and nine touchdowns, operating as the lone above-average target on a weak South Carolina offensive attack. Traditionally, college receivers that break out late like he did with only one year of dominant college production struggle in the NFL, but Legette has the frame and skillset to be an outlier. 

Legette is a prototypical X receiver in the modern NFL. Without even seeing him play, you are struck by his physical appearance. The former Gamecock receiver stands at 6’1”, 221 pounds, and he looks like he’s chiseled out of stone. He combines his elite physical measurables with top-notch speed and Ferrari-like acceleration. His gifts don’t stop there.

Carolina’s new target only dropped two passes on 97 targets during his senior year at east coast USC. His reliable hands and speed combine with a physicality after the catch that make him a load to drag down in the open field. Legette will struggle with precise route-running and separation, but look for Dave Canales and Brad Idzik to scheme up touches for a raw player that oozes talent. 

His giftings with the ball in his hand show up in his kick return chops. Legette averaged 26.6 yards per return on 25 returns over the past two years, taking one to the crib.

Bryce Young was in desperate need all of 2023 for downfield ball-winners, and Legette is just that. He has a rare ability to high point balls downfield and win in contested catch scenarios. Young only completed 22.8% of his deep passing attempts (attempts that traveled more than 20 yards downfield), good for 34th in the league. Legette should help that percentage from day one by turning 50/50 balls into 60/40 balls in his favor. 

Carolina trading up for Legette means he should see the field from day one. Surrounding Bryce Young with talent was a clear directive for the Panthers’ offseason, and Legette will join Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, and Diontae Johnson as new starters that hope to turn around the league’s worst offense from last season.