Panthers WR Xavier Legette has work to do to shed 'bust' status, analyst claims

Xavier Legette is apparently close to being considered a failed draft choice.

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) and quarterback Andy Dalton (14) during pregame warmups against the Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Is Xavier Legette a bust? Though it's hard and perhaps unfair to label a player with 16 career games a bust, there is chatter that the Carolina Panthers wide receiver is reaching that territory after being a late first-round pick in 2024. He had 497 yards and four touchdowns in those 16 games.

Legette was one of six players from the first round last year who Bleacher Report insider Matt Holder said require a bounceback campaign to avoid that dreaded label. Of the six, Legette is one that Holder admitted had a decent season.

He also added that Legette struggled with drops. "That's part of the reason Carolina was still searching for wide receiver help during the draft, adding another first-rounder at the position in Tetairoa McMillan last April. Additionally, Adam Thielen, the team’s No. 1 receiver over the last two years, and Jalen Coker return from last season," Holder argued.

Holder also said that Tetairoa McMillan and Adam Thielen are likely taking two of the Panthers' starting spots at WR, leaving Legette to contend with former UDFA Jalen Coker. "Coker put up similar numbers as Legette on a much smaller sample size. The undrafted free agent hauled in 32 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns in just 11 games and four starts," the analyst said.

"So, the South Carolina product might begin training camp as a starting wide receiver with the Panthers, but he better be careful this summer or he may lose his spot," Holder said. There is a belief, both within the organization and outside it, as well as within Legette himself, that adding McMillan can only help unlock and streamline the second-year wide receiver, but time will tell.

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