Jaycee Horn tells ESPN why Xavier Legette reminds him of Eagles star A.J. Brown

Expectations are always high for first-round NFL draft picks, even if they aren't always necessarily justified. In the case of Xavier Legette, the Carolina Panthers have every right to expect he will develop into a Pro Bowl level wide receiver some day. While his rookie year was a bit disappointing, Legette's athletic profile gives him all the tools he needs to thrive at this level.

We did see flashes of potential greatness from Legette as a rookie, to be sure. His size, speed and ability to separate gave him the advantage agfainst many pro defenders. However, he also left a bunch of yards and at least a couple touchdowns on the field thanks to drops, an area where Legette is diligently working to improve upon.

The worst of it came when Legete dropped would should have been a game-winning touchdown against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles - a moment that should motivate him for the rest of his career.

Speaking of the Eagles, one of Legette's teammates sees a lot of superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown in him. Here's what Jaycee Horn told Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.

Jaycee Horn on Xavier Legette-A.J. Brown

#Panthers WR Xavier Legette is poised for a Year 2 breakout, teammate Jaycee Horn told me on a recent camp visit to Carolina:

“He’s got the ability to separate. Reminds me a lot of A.J. Brown, how tough he is at the top of his routes and how fast he is at his size. Even when… pic.twitter.com/kytshZjr11
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 20, 2025

This is all technically correct, but Brown got off to a much faster starter to his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans than Legette did with the Panthers. As a rookie Brown managed to total over 1,000 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He followed that up with another 1,000+ yards the following year and boosted his TD total to 11.

By comparison Legette only put up 497 yards and four touchdowns, despite getting an identical 84 targets to Brown's rookie year. Perhaps Brown is somebody that Legette can hit up during the offseason to do some training with.

However, if Legette doesn't take a huge step forward in 2025 he risks getting lost in the shuffle in a Panthers receiver rotation that's much deeper now than it was when he came into the league.

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