Carolina Panthers insider suggests Xavier Legette's rookie struggles were predictable

The Carolina Panthers had its many flaws this past season, most notably on the defensive side of the ball. This was also a club needed to improve its aerial attack this offseason. Only two teams in the league gained fewer passing yards per game that the Panthers in 2024. It was really no surprise that for the second consecutive year, the team used a first-round selection on a wide receiver.

The talented contingent of The Athletic NFL Staff put together a list of potential breakout candidates in 2025, one for each team in the league. The choice by Carolina Panthers’ longtime writer Joseph Person was wide receiver Xavier Legette, the final pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

“Maybe we should have seen Legette’s rookie struggles coming. After all, despite looking the part with a big, chiseled frame, Legette wasn’t a full-time starter until his fifth season at South Carolina. So yes, there were growing pains for Legette, whose eight drops—including one on Bryce Young’s potential game-winning touchdown pass at Philadelphia—put him among the leaders in that category.

Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) with the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

“But the arrival of No. 8 pick Tetairoa McMillan should take some pressure off Legette,” explained Person, “whom the Panthers traded up to take at No. 32 in 2024. It’s not like Legette was a total bust: The 6’3”, 227-pounder caught 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns. But as Young develops and McMillan draws coverage his way, Legette’s production should increase this season.”

Those aforementioned 49 receptions were enough to lead Dave Canales’s team this past season. However, it’s also worth noting that the Panthers were the only team in the league in 2024 not to have a player total at least 50 catches. That figures to change with the arrival of McMillan. His presence should enable Legette—who averaged just 10.1 yards per reception during his rookie campaign—and perhaps another member of Canales’s offense to reach that total as well.

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