Panthers WR Xavier Legette looking 'big and fast' to begin OTAs

USA Today

27-05-2025

Panthers WR Xavier Legette looking 'big and fast' to begin OTAs
Year No. 2 may be a breakthrough one for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette.
On Tuesday, head coach Dave Canales chatted with reporters to put a bow on the first session of team organized activities (OTAs). He was asked about the organization's last two first-round picks, starting with Legette.
"What I see is a year into the system," Canales stated. "Just the speed that he's playing with now, with the level of comfort he has with what we're doing. When I see him smiling, I know he's in a good space. And he really has just been enjoying this offseason. Working hard. He looks big and fast."
Legette, the 32nd overall selection in 2024, experienced a rocky rookie campaign. After starting off relatively strong with four touchdowns in his first nine games, the 6-foot-3, 227-pounder failed to reach the end zone over his last seven outings.
He also struggled with ball security. Legette, per Pro Football Focus, recorded a team-high eight drops—one of which may have cost the Panthers a huge upset win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
The 24-year-old will have a little more help by his side in 2025, as he's now joined by fellow receiver Tetairoa McMillan—this year's eighth overall pick.
"And I think with TMac coming into the room, again, it's just options," Canales later added. "It opens things up, it creates a little bit of balance—where the field doesn't tilt one way or the other. So you have two guys who can make it happen outside and that's a good thing."
McMillan enters the NFL after making it happen at the University of Arizona. In his three seasons there, the 6-foot-4, 219-pounder amassed 213 catches for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns.
With the productive McMillan in tow, and expected to be the go-to 'X' receiver of the offense, Legette may be able to fit more into his strengths as a big-play threat. Legette would probably agree.
"I feel like that was a great pick for us," he said on Tuesday. "Every receiver we got in that room, I feel like they were good choices. Even the undrafted guys—they're showing that they can play in this league as well."
Along with McMillan, the Panthers grabbed University of Colorado wideout Jimmy Horn Jr. in the sixth round of the draft. The team also signed Miami's Jacolby George and Central Florida's Kobe Hudson as undrafted free agents.
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