Panthers WRs Xavier Legette & Chris Brazzell: Opportunity Awaits Eventual WR3

Whichever player wins the battle, they're going to be important to the Panthers' offense.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) attempts to catch the ball in the fourth quarter | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There are a few position battles going on in OTAs for the Carolina Panthers. One such battle is for the WR3 spot, which is the final starting receiver spot. For now, Xavier Legette holds that job behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

He is going to have to fend off a host of challengers. Primarily, John Metchie III, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Chris Brazzell II are his competitors. Among them, Brazzell is the most likely to take the spot with a good preseason.

We ranked Legette and Brazzell 25th on our list of the most important players this season. Whichever one wins the job out of camp will be a pretty important player to Carolina's offensive success.

Why Xavier Legette or Chris Brazzell are important to the Panthers

Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) yells in celebration after scoring a touchdown | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For all intents and purposes, Xavier Legette and Chris Brazzell II are the same player. They're both tall (Legette is 6'3" and Brazzell is one inch taller) and fast (Legette ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and Brazzell was 0.2 seconds faster) receivers. The Panthers obviously want one featured in their offense.

One of them is highly likely to be the WR3 for the Panthers. Right now, despite Brazzell looking the part, it's still Legette's job. Because the Panthers are enamored with the idea of Legette and what he supposedly can be, Brazzell has an uphill battle.

Regardless, the big, fast player who starts has an important and selfless job this season. They have to help take the top off the defense and unlock everything for both Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker without getting as much action.

The Panthers don't throw the ball a ton, so the WR3 in that sort of offense doesn't have a lot of work to do anyway. But with the type of receivers the Panthers have, this WR3 may have even less to do than normal.

Brazzell or Legette will primarily be the deep threat meant to attract attention over the top so that Coker and McMillan can work freely underneath. Brazzell's route tree is very vertically oriented, and McMillan and Coker both thrive on routes that aren't necessarily deep down the field.

McMillan in particular is good at coming across the middle of the field, so if the safety is concerned about Brazzell/Legette being open downfield, then McMillan and Coker will have one-on-ones in the middle.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) looks on before the game | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Bryce Young is also really good at layering the ball over the middle, so if the Panthers can open that part of the field up even more, then he and his receivers will have plenty of success. That all comes down to the WR3, so one of the candidates will actually be really important to this offense.