Patriots were set to draft Xavier Legette before Panthers traded up to get him

Legette was going to come off the board sooner rather than later one way or the other.

Sep 24, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Xavier Legette / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receiver Xavier Legette became the No. 32 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after the Carolina Panthers traded into the first round to select him to close out the first day. As it turns out, Legette would not have lasted long into Day 2 if the Panthers went in a different direction as the New England Patriots had their sights set on the South Carolina wideout as well.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots, picking at No. 34 overall, were going to take Legette with the second pick in the second round:

"I had heard early in the draft process that the Patriots hoped a certain receiver would be available either at their No. 34 overall pick or in a trade up into the late first. That receiver was South Carolina's Xavier Legette, per a source. Only problem: Carolina moved from No. 33 to 32 to take Legette on Thursday night."

- ESPN's Jeremy Fowler

Instead, the Patriots opted to trade back a bit, swapping with the Los Angeles Chargers, then drafted Washington wideout Ja'Lynn Polk with the 37th overall pick in the draft instead. Fowler went on to say that the Patriots love Polk, but that Legette "was a bit higher in the pecking order."