Carolina Panthers 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Final countdown edition

Carolina Panthers select Xavier Legette

• Wide Receiver | South Carolina Gamecocks
• Round No. 2 | No. 33 overall

Pick your poison here. The Carolina Panthers could go in any direction with this draft selection, whether it’s trading back or drafting a different style of wide receiver.

It’s hard to ignore how much interest the team has shown in South Carolina pass-catcher Xavier Legette. The team has interviewed or spoken with him on numerous occasions. Considering the local connection and overall skill set, it makes a lot of sense why the fifth-year senior could be the Panthers' first pick.

Admittedly, if Carolina were to select a receiver at this spot, I would be inclined to draft Ladd McConkey or Ja’Lynn Polk over Legette under personal preference. Thankfully, I’m not the one deciding on who to draft - that’s the job of Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis. For what it’s worth, I would not be opposed to selecting the Gamecocks playmaker.

Legette wins on vertical planes, whether that’s on crossers, go-routes, posts, or slot fades. He uses his explosive long speed and physicality to win downfield. There are flashes of him sprinting away from defenses and ruining pursuit angles. On top of that, his ball skills are fun to watch, and the wideout understands how and where to high-point passes while displaying quality body control.

However, some concerns could limit him to being a big slot early. He rounds his routes at times when breaking off the stem on intermediate concepts. Legette won’t win with lateral quickness at the line of scrimmage and must develop more release packages to win with more deliberate physicality in the contact window.

Legette might be somewhat of a raw prospect. However, not as such compared to his 2023 second-round counterpart, Jonathan Mingo.

Overall, Legette is a potential high-end No. 2 wide receiver with “big slot” and movement-Z versatility along with immense developmental potential.

There are some consistencies and areas of his game that could use improvement such as opening up his route tree and playing with more manipulation at the line of scrimmage. However, the prospect offers a vertical skill set that allows him to be a threat in underneath RAC situations due to his long speed along with the ball skills and body control to threaten at all three levels.