The Carolina Panthers weren’t initially set to have a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after sending him to the Chicago Bears in a package that landed them Bryce Young.
However, the Panthers moved back into the first round on Thursday night, sending a fifth-round pick (141 overall) and the 33rd overall pick, the first of the second round, to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for the 32nd overall pick, the one ‘they have chosen. acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs and a sixth-round pick, 200th overall.
Carolina placed South Carolina 2023 second-team All-SEC wide receiver Xavier Legette incredibly high on their draft board, which Legette himself revealed. He said they promised him they would take him with their first available pick, 33rd overall — the first second-round pick — when they met before the draft. The Panthers kept their word and selected him 32nd overall with the last first-round pick.
“I’ve met with the Panthers four or five times, the relationship continues to grow,” Legette told USA Today on Monday. “They’re really hoping I can make it to the second round. They keep telling me if I’m sitting at 33, they’ll take me.”
New Panthers head coach Dave Canales threw up a smokescreen during his pre-draft press conference Wednesday by claiming he brought up the scenario of being the Panthers’ top pick in the 2024 draft to Legette and to many other prospects to gauge how they are wired. and where their minds would go after joining the NFL.
“Yeah, oh yeah. It was a great conversation. I definitely told him that and about 50 other guys,” Canales said Wednesday via ESPN. “‘If we draft you at 33…that’s actually an introductory question. ‘So when we draft you at 33, what happens now?’ There are a lot of questions that arise after that, so yes, that’s part of the process.”
Their selection of Legette is understood beyond its sole geographical proximity. After totaling just 423 receiving yards in his first four seasons of college football, Legette broke out for 1,255 in 2023, the second most in the entire SEC behind LSU All-American Malik Nabers. He’s 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, and he showed at the NFL Scouting Combine that he’s an explosive athlete. Legette ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and had a 40-inch vertical jump in addition to a 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump. He’s an elite player after the catch, and he does his best closer to the line of scrimmage — slants, running through routes and screens — but can also get vertically deep down the field.
His middle route could use a little work, but it’s clear the Panthers are stocking up on playmakers for Young.
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place April 25-27 in Detroit. More coverage of the draft can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly updated draft ordinancemock drafts and one available regularly look at eligible prospects.
