It's safe to say that Carolina Panther's 2024 first-round pick, Xavier Legette, is a bust heading into the 2026 NFL season.
It’s safe to say that the NFL Draft is one of the most flawed events in sports.
There have been countless times where a “can’t-miss prospect” actually turns out to be a bust, or an underrated player falls in the draft for a certain reason. For example, Carolina Panthers’ young receiver, Jalen Coker, has been a hidden gem after signing with the organization as a UDFA in 2024.
Unfortunately for general manager Dan Morgan, his first draft with the franchise ended up being a nightmare.
Carolina did not have a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft due to the team’s trade up in the previous draft for quarterback Bryce Young. But this did not stop Morgan, as he would trade up one spot to the No. 32 pick and select wide receiver Xavier Legette.
Coming out of South Carolina, Legette was widely considered a “boom-or-bust” prospect. At 6-foot-1, 221 lbs., many believed that he could potentially follow in the tracks of a fellow Gamecock wideout in Deebo Samuel.
Both playmakers showed signs of being a yards-after-the-catch monster throughout their college careers, but only Samuel would truly be the one to display this skill set at the next level.
As the projected No. 1 receiver for the Panthers heading into the 2024 NFL season, fans were excited to see the pairing of Young and Legette.
However, the talented pass catcher would fail to live up to his hype in year one, finishing with 49 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns. This caused the front office to once again select another receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft in Tetarioa McMillan.
Luckily for the Panthers, McMillan has been nothing short of impressive this season, racking up 66 catches for 929 yards and seven touchdowns. The hope was for McMillan to take over as the No. 1 option in the passing game, while Legette would slowly transition into a secondary role for Carolina in 2025.
This, once again, was not the case.
Through his 14 games played this year, Legette has continued to struggle, tallying 32 catches for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Coker, the undrafted receiver who has played in four fewer games than Legette, currently has more receiving yards than the former first-round pick.
Instead of the Panthers finding their version of Samuel, the front office ended up selecting the next Treylon Burks. Clearly, Legette’s role has been completely diminished over the past four games, and it’s finally safe to say that he is a bust.