Packers Host ‘Monster’ Receiver for NFL Predraft Visit

The Green Bay Packers are loaded at receiver. That doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to upgrade even further.

Author:
Bill Huber
Apr 23, 2024

In this story:

Xavier Legette

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers draft

Top 30 visit

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest, deepest and best receiver corps in the NFL. On any list of NFL Draft needs, receiver would rank toward the bottom.

That doesn’t mean the Packers aren’t looking to get even stronger. According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, they hosted South Carolina star Xavier Legette on a predraft visit.

Who Is Xavier Legette?

Legette was one of the nation’s breakout stars in 2023. After catching 42 passes during his first four seasons, Legette dominated with 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

In the transfer-portal era, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney hated going against Legette but appreciated his story.

“Seventeen, he's a superstar,” Swinney said.

“The intensity of recruiting, and everybody knows everything, and talks about everything, and evaluates and scrutinizes everything – if kids aren't great players as freshmen, they stink. It’s such a bad mindset. … You get so scrutinized in today's world, it's a lot of pressure on these kids. A lot of them, they hit a wall and it stunts their development, I think. Or, ‘Oh, I gotta go, I gotta leave,’ and the mirror goes with them. It's really the man in the mirror. So I think (Legette is) a great example of development. … Here’s this senior that’s a monster.”

Legette averaged a robust 17.7 yards per catch, due in large part to his run-after-catch prowess. Plus, Pro Football Focus charged him with only two drops.

“I put in a lot of work during the summer,” he told The Draft Network during the season. “After every catch, before I finish every workout, I finish the play by running into the end zone. Every ball that I catch during a workout gets taken into the end zone. I burst in for a touchdown.

“All I want is touchdowns (laughs). I don’t have as many of them this season as I’d like to (laughs). I don’t have as many as I should. I’m always trying to score a touchdown. If I can get that YAC [yards after catch], I’m getting that YAC.”

How Would Xavier Legette Fit With Packers?

At 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds – those are running back dimensions – Legette would add a new dynamic to the receiver corps. And yet, he’s got 4.39 speed. So, he’s got the power to run through tackles and the speed to run away from defenders.

As Daniel Jeremiah said at NFL.com: “Legette is a thick, muscled-up receiver with impressive top speed and toughness. … He has reliable hands, and he has a nice blend of speed and toughness after the catch. He plays much faster with the ball in his hands. Overall, Legette doesn’t offer a full complement of routes, but he can do damage with his select few.”

The Packers’ passing game emerged as one of the best in the league last season but Jordan Love ranked only 19th in yards after the catch per catch. Legette could change that dynamic.

“I’ve had that mentality ever since I was a little kid,” he told Melo recently. “Ever since I’ve been playing football, I’ve been the same way and had the same approach. Growing up playing the way we did in South Carolina, you had to be tough and physical from a young age. The first man can’t tackle you. You need to have that mentality. I’ve carried that with me throughout my career.”

What Is Xavier Legette’s NFL Draft Projection?

Legette is viewed as a borderline Top 50 pick. The Packers have made a living with their second-round receivers, dating to Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and continuing with Jayden Reed in last year’s draft.

“My name has continued to buzz, I don’t know how the draft is going to go,” he told Panthers Wire. “They had me going late third round, now they’re telling me I could go No. 15 to 32, or even early second round.”

He added: “I look to be a big-time, big-name player in the league,” Legette said. “I can run with anybody. The big names that they’re already screaming. I want them to be screaming my name just like that.”