Carolina Panthers must deploy Xavier Legette differently after promising debut

Sunday was the first regular-season game of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette's professional career. He surprised me.

While the Panthers may have gotten dragged through the mud by the New Orleans Saints in all phases, Legette was one of the rare bright spots on offense. He showed exactly what you want to see from a newcomer on tape that would force the coaching staff to put him in the starting lineup.

Legette displayed speed and good chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young. The No. 32 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft seemed much smoother than what he showed on his college film.

There were still struggles, which isn't surprising. One of his biggest problems was creating separation early in routes and downfield. Legette was the second lowest in the NFL in separation and was only able to muster 1.76 yards of separation per route - well below the league average of 2.96 yards.

Multiple times a defensive back was in the hip pocket of Legette ready to make a play on the ball. It’s something that he must improve. This should get the former South Carolina star closer to the league average so the Panthers can get an immediate return on their investment.

The bad stops there luckily.

Xavier Legette can thrive as Carolina Panthers' big-bodied slot receiver

Legette had the highest target share in the Panthers offense with seven targets, which was 24 percent. This shows Young and Dave Canales have the trust to put him on primary reads and give the pass-catcher chances. He also had the highest catch rate over expected at +8.2, meaning he is taking advantage of the opportunities provided.

The wideout ended Week 1 with the highest deep target percentage and air yards per target at 42.9 percent and 16.4 yards, respectively. Lastly, Legette finished with the highest tight window percentage at 28.6%. Young wanted to target him deep and when there was a 50/50 ball. Two things the team lacked immensely last year and drafted him to fix.

There are still questions before we celebrate or hate this pick. We already mentioned how Legette struggles to create separation but that wasn't the only negative on his performance. He didn't provide anything after the catch, creating just two yards.

With the routes and catches he had, there wasn’t much of an opportunity to run with the ball. I want to see Legette get these opportunities and see if he can produce because there were frequent flashes of it in college. The only other question I have is the alignment he would be best used in.

The Panthers drafted him as a big-bodied Z receiver, but he struggles to get open consistently on the outside. Legette looked great facing off coverage and getting a free release. It is fair to ask if it would be beneficial for the rookie to play a big slot role where he can run freely and pick up speed quickly.

Legette looked so much smoother when he was allowed to get into his route without resistance. Maybe not occupy this role forever, but at least during his important first-year transition.

Despite some obvious flaws, it was a pleasing debut from Legette even with the loss. The coaching staff in Carolina should look to increase the opportunities he is given.

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