It took South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette a while to stand out, but when he did, he really did. Legette caught 71 passes on 97 targets for 1.255 yards and seven touchdowns in the Gamecocks’ 2023 season after totaling 42 catches on 76 targets for 423 yards and five touchdowns in his previous four seasons… combined.
But when it hit for Legette, he showed characteristics on the field that put him right up there with the NCAA’s best receivers in terms of productivity and explosiveness. Legette had 13 catches last season of 20 or more air yards for 554 yards and four touchdowns, and there’s more meat on that bone at the NFL level as Legette continues to refine his route palette.
“The coaches put me in place for those routes, man,” Legette said at the scouting combine of his breakout season. “Just working on those things. I had ways that I worked on those things all throughout the week. I’d go out there and work on the stuff I feel like I needed to work on Monday through Thursday, and that’s what helped me build my route tree.”
Legette is also close with 49ers receiver (and South Carolina alum) Deebo Samuel, whose play style he clearly favors.
“I’ve been talking to him since I got to South Carolina. Oh, man. Deebo, man, he ain’t taking it easy on me. He tells me, ‘If you don’t do this,’ then he’s going to be mad at me. I just try to keep him happy.”
Legette might take a second to get the hang of NFL defenses, but he’s already shown that he’s worth consideration as a late bloomer who brings a lot to a passing game.
PLUSES
— 6-foot-1, 221-pound frame, and plays bigger on the field. He’s a nightmare to cover on contested targets because he’ll just Godzilla his way over the defender.
— Nice get-up speed and acceleration downfield; can turn a drag route into a house call. Uses his stride length as a weapon.
— Can easily detach from man and match coverage; with some footwork development, he could be a real bear against press coverage.
— Has a good sense of how to get under zones to make timing and rhythm catches.
— Tackling him with anything but a square-up is a bad idea when he’s downfield; arm-tackles aren’t going to do it.
MINUSES
— One-year star who totaled 1,255 receiving yards in his 2023 season, and 423 the four seasons before. Some of the rawness comes from there.
— Needs development in his route nuances, though he does have nice short-area movement for his size. There’s an extra tick on a lot of his routes that will need to be squared off.
— Tends to fall apart on screens and swing passes that should be gimmes for someone of his stature.
— The Deebo Samuel comps are instructive, but he’s not that type of runner just yet.
I absolutely love the high points of Legette’s tape. Yes, he’s a somewhat raw prospects, but the athletic profile comes in somewhere between Deebo and A.J. Brown. He’s a more than worthy investment.
Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
PLUSES
— 6-foot-1, 221-pound frame, and plays bigger on the field. He's a nightmare to cover on contested targets because he'll just Godzilla his way over the defender.
— Nice get-up speed and acceleration downfield; can turn a drag route… pic.twitter.com/IjWozof4OD
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 28, 2024