Legette is a tricky prospect to figure out because it took him until his final season at South Carolina to break out, but he broke out in a big way with 1,255 receiving yards (17.7 per catch) and seven touchdowns. At 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, Legette ran a 4.39 40 with equally elite testing numbers in the quickness drills (10, 20-yard splits) and explosive testing (40-inch vertical jump). He's one of the biggest physical freaks to enter an already loaded rookie WR class and how fast he can build a rapport with Bryce Young will tell the story of his rookie season from a Fantasy standpoint. Legette's upside makes him one of the priority picks in the 10th or 11th rounds of your drafts, and he should come off the board in Round 2 of rookie-only drafts.
Panthers' Xavier Legette: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Diontae Johnson is the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers, but we'll see how guys like Legette and Adam Thielen (50 percent) work in as secondary options for Bryce Young. I would gamble on Legette over Thielen based on upside, and we'll see if the rookie can make plays right away. By the end of the season, Legette could be a playmaker for the Panthers and Fantasy managers alike.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Likely sitting out Saturday
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Legette is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Jets, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
The Panthers are opting to keep the majority of their starters out of the preseason contest, including the first-round rookie. Expect Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall to get a bit of playing time until roster bubble wideouts such as Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore and Mike Strachan get their fair share of opportunities.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Returns to practice
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Legette (foot) returned to practice Monday morning, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Legette left practice early Aug. 4 and missed Thursday's 17-3 preseason loss to New England. He'll now have five days to prepare for the Panthers' second preseason game this Saturday against the Jets, and there's still time to make a run at a starting job. The lengthy list of starters held out of the preseason opener didn't include WR Jonathan Mingo, who played against the Patriots despite repping with the first-team offense in practice this summer. Mingo took one carry for six yards and dropped his only target.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Backup on first depth chart
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Legette (foot) is listed behind Jonathan Mingo on the Panthers' initial depth chart released ahead of Carolina's first preseason game Thursday against New England.
Joe Person of The Athletic reports that there's more to be desired in Legette's camp performance thus far, as he hasn't made any "head-turning plays" and has been outperformed by Mingo and Terrace Marshall. Legette missed the last few weeks of spring with a hamstring issue and is now dealing with a foot injury as well, which could be detrimental to building chemistry with Bryce Young before the 2024 season. Person also stated that he expects head coach Dave Canales to find ways to get the ball in Legette's hands throughout the season, but he still has a long way to go and needs all the practice reps he can get at this time. It seems like it'll be an uphill battle for Legette to start the Panthers' 2024 campaign as one of the team's top three wideouts, but that could change if he begins to show out after returning from injury.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Returns for start of camp
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Legette (hamstring) was on the practice field Wednesday for the start of training camp, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
A hamstring injury limited Legette's practice participation this spring after the Panthers took him 32nd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He's back in action with plenty of time to secure a top-three role at receiver alongside Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen, likely competing for perimeter snaps with 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo and 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall. Few wide receivers can match Legette's combination of straight-line speed (4.39-second 40-yard dash time) and bulk (6-foot-1, 223 pounds), but he was a non-factor at South Carolina before exploding for 1,255 receiving yards his final season. He now enters the NFL with the usual concerns that come with bigger wideouts: route running and change-of-direction skills.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Missing practice again
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Legette (hamstring) isn't practicing Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Legette first missed practice last Wednesday, with Panthers coach Dave Canales saying the rookie "looked tight" the day before. Legette's hamstring injury doesn't appear too serious, as he's working off to the side with Carolina's training staff Tuesday. He'll likely be ready for the start of training camp in late July even if he doesn't practice again before then.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Dealing with tightness
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Legette missed practice Wednesday, with head coach Dave Canales noting afterward that the rookie "looked tight" the day before, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
The 32nd overall pick appears to be dealing with a minor muscular injury in his lower body. Assuming he doesn't miss too much time, Legette is in good position to earn plenty of snaps as a rookie within a Carolina offense that's badly in need of a downfield target to complement veteran possession receivers Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson. The Panthers didn't get much from 2023 second-round pick Jonathan Mingo last season, but they went back to the well for a physically similar player this April, hoping Legette's 4.39-second 40-yard dash time in a 223-pound frame will translate to the NFL in a hurry.
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Panthers' Xavier Legette: Carolina surprises at 32nd pick
Rotowire
The Panthers selected Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 32nd overall.
Legette (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) is a uniquely explosive athlete (4.39-second 40, 40-inch vertical) for such a heavy receiver, and in 2023 his production at South Carolina went crazy as he made big play after big play downfield. He's more comfortable running in a straight line than sideways, which limits the number of ways you can get him the ball and makes it easier for defenses to stop him once opponents determine which parts of the field he'll avoid. While he showed great hands and even yards-after-the-catch ability in 2023, Legette might face more jamming troubles from NFL corners, which would threaten to delay his otherwise compelling downfield speed. Indeed, it's a red flag that he was so athletically explosive all along but couldn't produce until his fifth collegiate season. Given Bryce Young's 2023 struggles, it is in any case difficult to see much fantasy opportunity for Legette in 2024 specifically.
