Xavier Legette focused on reducing drops that plagued rookie year with Panthers

It was an erratic debut season for the Panthers' 2024 first-round draft choice. Xavier Legette is doing what it takes to be a better player going forward.

There was good news and bad news regarding the Carolina Panthers’ first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The team entered the first round that night without a first-round selection, but the club traded back into Day 1. The Buffalo Bills owned the 32nd overall selection thanks to a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, and wound up dealing it to Carolina. The pick was University of South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette.

The former Gamecock played in 16 games and made 13 starts this past season. He actually led Carolina with 49 receptions, but those grabs added up to modest 497 yards (10.1 average) and four touchdowns. Legette was targeted 84 times, meaning his catch percentage was a mediocre 58.3.

Panthers’ WR Xavier Legette has gone back to basics

This offseason, the young wideout has gotten back to something in terms of preparation (Jugs machine). “Oh man, it’s always been something I’ve done, and I don’t know why, but I felt like I could take a little breath,” explained Legette (via Darin Gantt of Panthers.com). “And when you’re playing in this game, you can never do that. It’s always a way to get better, and that’s one of the ways to help with catching. For sure, for sure. In my mind, I’m thinking about ways, things I can do. What can I do to have less drops this coming season in Year 2?

“The whole mindset has changed, man,” added Legette. “Trying to do anything I got to. I’m sacrificing a lot of things that I used to do outside of the building to put my work inside the building.”

General manager added three notable players to the wide receiver room this offseason. There’s former Raiders’ Pro Bowler Hunter Renfrow, as well as first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), and sixth-round speedster Jimmy Horn Jr. (Colorado). The competition for playing time has improved in Carolina, and Legette is working to become a much more consistent performer for quarterback Bryce Young in Dave Canales’s attack.