What Xavier Legette said about pairing with Tetairoa McMillan at Panthers OTAs

Carolina's 2023 first-round draft pick sees McMillan as an asset, not a threat to his job.

Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) with the ball as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Amani Oruwariye (27) defefends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

If everything goes according to plan, the wide receivers room will be one of the Carolina Panthers' greatest strengths this year. That would be a significante departure for a unit that's been below-average and missing star-power ever since Steve Smith left following the 2013 season.

Smith was on hand for yesterday's OTAs practice, and was spotted chatting up veteran wideout Hunter Renfrow on the sidelines. That there's no guarantee Renfrow will make the initial 53-man roster speaks to how much deeper this unit is in 2025 compared to recent years. At the top, Adam Thielen is still the favorite to be Bryce Young's number one target, but the future is readily apparent with two first-round draft picks waiting in the wings to take over.

That would be Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan, who the Panthers took with the No. 8 overall pick in this year's draft, a spot that's historically been kind to them - landing stars like Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Gross in the past. Rather than seeing McMillan as a threat to take his targets, Legette is sounding a different note. Here's what he said about his new teammate, per David Newton at ESPN.

"I feel like it's going to be a problem either way... I wouldn't necessarily say it's a one or two. I feel like it's either side they look at, they're going to have to deal with both sides."

Bryce Young echoed that sentiment, saying that the Panthers can build off the two of them.

While he has less experience than any other Carolina receiver, McMillan is projected by ESPN to lead the Panthers with over 900 receiving yards as a rookie.

If McMillan can hit the ground running and Legette can fix his catch-point issues from last season, the Panthers should field one of the better wide receiver corps in the entire NFL.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI - 

Carolina Panthers defender put on notice for proving numbers can lie

Analyst: Panthers had too many hotels to address in one offseason

Panthers named potential trade partner for Cowboys’ INT machine

Panthers projected to draft Ohio State star Caleb Downs in 2026