Panthers pass on Xavier Legette for another receiver in 2024 NFL draft do-over

The first time you do anything there's a learning curve involved. That applies to NFL rookies who are making their debuts at the highest level of the game, as well as executives approaching their first offseasons in charge of a team. Last year Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan was going into his first draft in that position and he made some questionable moves, to say the least.

While there's still time for Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks and company to grow and deliver on the potential that made them strong prospects in the first place, the first season for this class of 2024 was underwhelming. Legette proved entertaining and showed some potential in the red zone, but he also struggled with drops and showed poor technique at the catch point in general.

If Morgan had a chance to do it over, odds are he would go in a different direction with that first pick. In a new 2024 NFL re-draft from Bleacher Report, that's exactly what he does - taking Buffalo Bills wide receiverKeon Coleman with the last pick in Round 1 rather than Legette.

B/R on Keon Coleman > Xavier Legette

"The Panthers just picked the wrong guy. Granted, Keon Coleman's first season in Buffalo has been underwhelming—57 targets, 29 receptions, 556 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. But dating all the way back to before last year's draft, Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen wrote that Coleman has all the ingredients to be the No. 1 wideout on the boundary for an NFL team."

As they noted, Coelman's production wasn't anything to write home about. However, he does have several advantages compared to Legette - not least of which is the absence of a baffling predeliction to jump for every catch even when it's totall unnecessary.

Coleman has the same size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and athleticism and may yet develop into star receiver at this level. The same is true of Legette of course, but for that to happen the Panthers may need to tear him down to the foundations and rebuild his game from scratch. Head coach Dave Canales is uniquely suited to help, given his long-time experience as a wide receivers coach with the Seattle Seahawks, where he helped develop several stars and underrated contributors.