Tag: Xavier Legette

Panthers WR Xavier Legette owns a quarter horse named ‘Dolla Bill’

Xavier Legette, like his horse “Dolla Bill,” is truly one of one.

Have you ever seen a panther ride a horse?

Carolina Panthers first-round pick Xavier Legette took questions following his opening outing of rookie minicamp on Friday. And after chopping it up about the usual football stuff, he got into his well-documented love of horses.

“I was about five years old,” he said of the first time he rode a horse.. “And ever since I was a little boy—my uncle, he would bring the horses to my house every day for my birthday. And then we’ll go out there to the horse stable on the weekend.”

Legette, now 23 years old, was then asked if he has a horse of his own.

“Oh yeah,” he replied. “Dolla Bill.”

Dolla Bill, as Legette added, is a “one of one” racking horse. The racking horse, per the National Racking Horse Association, is a “breed derived from the Tennessee Walking Horse” and is known for a “distinctive singlefoot gait.”

With a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, Legette probably doesn’t need a horse to get some giddy-up. But maybe we’ll be introduced to Dolla Bill real soon.

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Panthers WR Xavier Legette: Improving route running was most important thing to me

Panthers WR Xavier Legette said he worked on improving his route running during the pre-draft process.

The Carolina Panthers’ first installment of rookie minicamp concluded with a treat—Xavier Legette on a microphone.

Legette, the team’s first-round pick, spoke with reporters following Friday’s practice. He gave his thoughts on the opening outing.

“First day was smooth,” he said. “It was real short, but we got good work out there.”

He would then be asked what he worked on most during the pre-draft process.

“That was the most important thing to me—to really put emphasis on certain routes that the media was sayin’ I couldn’t run, that I wasn’t able to run,” Legette replied. “I felt like that was the most important thing to me, so I just worked on those things a lot.”

Those things, per Legette, included comeback and curl routes. The thickly-built 6-foot-1, 221-pounder stated he wanted to improve on coming out of breaks and dropping his hips.

So, if he heard people saying he couldn’t run those routes, does Legette have an ear out on the outside chatter?

“I don’t necessarily really worry about what folks say, but a lot folks were bringin’ that to my attention,” he later added. “Like, a lot of coaches who I was talkin’ to, they was also bringin’ it up—like why you think a lot of folks sayin’ this and that?

“I felt like the coaches kinda thought the same thing as well. So I feel like that was important, to put emphasis on makin’ that happen and bein’ able to show them that I can do that through the process.”

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Panthers sign all 7 of their 2024 draft picks

The Panthers’ entire 2024 draft class is officially locked in.

All for one and one for all!

On Thursday evening, the Carolina Panthers announced they’ve signed all seven of their 2024 NFL draft picks. The deals come just in time, too—with the team beginning rookie minicamp tomorrow.

The biggest contract of the class belongs to University of South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette, the final pick of the first round. Carolina, whose first selection was originally in the 33rd overall spot, traded up to No. 32—securing Legette as well as the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.

Per Spotrac, the projected contracts for each pick are as follows:

Pick (Round) Years Total value Average annual value Signing bonus
WR Xavier Legette 32 (1) 4* $12,357,176 $3,089,294 $5,807,036
RB Jonathon Brooks 46 (2) 4  $8,417,082 $2,104,271 $2,941,512
LB Trevin Wallace 72 (3) 4 $5,959,836 $1,489,959 $1,154,424
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders 101 (4) 4 $4,894,236 $1,223,559 $874,236
CB Chau Smith-Wade 157 (5) 4 $4,343,984 $1,085,996 $323,984
DL Jaden Crumedy 200 (6) 4 $4,196,424 $1,049,106 $176,424
LB Michael Barrett 240 (7) 4 $4,114,300 $1,028,575 $94,300

With the exception of Brooks, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, each rookie is expected hit the field on Friday and Saturday. Brooks believes he’ll be healthy and ready to go by training camp.

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3 Panthers draft picks invited to NFLPA’s annual rookie premiere

The Panthers may be well represented at this year’s rookie premiere.

A trio of Carolina Panthers draft picks could be going Hollywood by this time next week.

As first reported by NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, the NFL Players Association has invited 40 players to its annual rookie premiere—which is set to take place in Los Angeles from May 16 to May 19. Included on the list of invitees are three selections from Carolina—first-round wide receiver Xavier Legette, second-round running back Jonathon Brooks and fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Per the official NFLPA website, the event is held to offer partners “unparalleled access” to the league’s newest stars in their first marketing venture following the draft.

The full list of the 40 invitees is as follows:

  • Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas (Indianapolis Colts)
  • Audric Estimé, RB, Notre Dame (Denver Broncos)
  • Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (Los Angeles Rams)
  • Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (Denver Broncos)
  • Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin (New York Jets)
  • Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU (Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia (Las Vegas Raiders)
  • Bucky Irving, RB, Oregon (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  • Caleb Williams, QB, USC (Chicago Bears)
  • Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama (Minnesota Vikings)
  • Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina (New England Patriots)
  • J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan (Minnesota Vikings)
  • Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  • Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington (New England Patriots)
  • Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas (Carolina Panthers)
  • Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (Washington Commanders)
  • Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee (Miami Dolphins)
  • Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama (Cincinnati Bengals)
  • Joe Milton III, QB, Tennessee (New England Patriots)
  • Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas (Carolina Panthers)
  • Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State (New York Jets)
  • Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State (Buffalo Bills)
  • Ladd McConkey, WR Georgia (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • Laiatu Latu, LB, UCLA (Indianapolis Colts)
  • Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice (Washington Commanders)
  • Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky (New York Jets)
  • Malik Nabers, WR, LSU (New York Giants)
  • MarShawn Lloyd, RB, USC (Green Bay Packers)
  • Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State (Arizona Cardinals)
  • Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (Atlanta Falcons)
  • Michael Pratt, QB, Tulane (Green Bay Packers)
  • Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan (Pittsburgh Steelers)
  • Rome Odunze, WR, Washington (Chicago Bears)
  • Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina (New Orleans Saints)
  • Trey Benson, RB, Florida State (Arizona Cardinals)
  • Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon (Denver Broncos)
  • Will Shipley, RB, Clemson (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina (Carolina Panthers)
  • Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas (Kansas City Chiefs)

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NFL personnel evaluator compares Panthers’ Xavier Legette to DK Metcalf

Panthers first-round pick Xavier Legette continues to draw comparisons to Pro Bowl WR DK Metcalf.

Given his somewhat unique athletic profile and his sample size of top-end production, Xavier Legette isn’t an easy prospect to find a comparison for. But there is a name that keeps making some rounds for the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick.

And that name is DK Metcalf, the two-time Pro Bowl wideout for the Seattle Seahawks. One of the latest comps between Legette and Metcalf comes out of the legwork done by ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, who recently provided the following quote from an NFL personnel evaluator:

“Not quite the athlete Metcalf is but he’s got some game-breaking ability like that, and he can do a little more with versatility as a runner and pass-catcher.”

Metcalf entered the league a tad bigger than Legette—with the former measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds and the latter at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds. He was also a shade faster than the Mullins, S.C. native, posting a better 40-yard dash (4.33 seconds to 4.39 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.45 seconds to 1.54).

But something the two definitely have in common is a link to Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who shared a sideline with Metcalf in Seattle from 2019 to 2022. Canales had worked as the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach from 2010 to 2017 before serving as the quarterbacks coach 2018, 2019, 2022) and passing game coordinator (2020, 2021).

Oh, and they both also do that think where they expose their abs by folding up their uniform tops. (Aesthetic is key!)

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Cam Newton comes up with nickname for Panthers 1st-round pick Xavier Legette

Panthers great Cam Newton was recently tasked with giving first-round pick Xavier Legette a nickname. He did not disappoint.

Touchdown balls weren’t the only thing that Cam Newton used to hand out to his teammates.

The Carolina Panthers great and former Most Valuable Player was also quite good at coming up with nicknames for his old pals. Just ask Luke Kuechly (Captain America), Thomas Davis (The Mayor of Charlotte), Christian McCaffrey (C-Mac), Jonathan Stewart (Beef Stew) and Greg Olsen (Greg).

So, a Panthers fan recently asked Newton to cook one up for the team’s newest first-round pick Xavier Legette—and it doesn’t disappoint . . .

Legette, a Mullins, S.C. native, gained a bit of pre-draft fame for his heavy southern accent. The 23-year-old wide receiver was even asked about the attention during his introductory press conference a week and a half ago.

“Oh yeah, they’ve been draggin’ it all over social media. They’ve been dragging it all over social media,” Legette replied with a smile. “I love social media, man. I just tell folks—they really ain’t just never heard nobody talk from Mullins.”

Well, “Big Country” it is!

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Former NFL exec predicts huge rookie season for Panthers’ Xavier Legette

A two-time Super Bowl-winning exec predicts Panthers first-rounder Xavier Legette will lead all rookie receivers in touchdowns and yards per catch.

We just witnessed one of the most prolific receiver classes in recent memory come off the board last weekend. But which of that group’s prospects will eventually rise above the rest in 2024?

On a new episode of NFL Total Access, former New York Giants executive and current NFL Network analyst Marc Ross made an awfully bold prediction as to which rookie wideout will do exactly that. And when we say it’s “bold,” we mean it . . .

Xavier Legette’s journey to the first round of the 2024 NFL draft was a pretty exceptional one—as he wasn’t on many, if any radars prior to this past year.

Over his first four seasons at the University of South Carolina, he totaled just 423 yards and five touchdowns on 43 receptions. He’d then have the breakout of all breakouts in 2023, reeling in 71 grabs for 1,255 yards and seven scores en route to a second-team All-SEC selection.

So, yeah, forecasting that kind of rookie campaign for a relatively raw prospect in a very raw offense is quite the statement—especially amongst the likes of Marvin Harrison Sr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.

But hey, that’s why it’s bold.

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4 Panthers picks land in ESPN’s top 100 selections of 2024 draft

The Panthers made out this past weekend according to ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller.

Based off the cumulative grades, many experts seem to believe the Carolina Panthers might’ve reached a time or two (or four or five) during the 2024 NFL draft. But we can’t count ESPN’s Matt Miller in that bunch.

Miller ranked his 100 best selections of this past weekend, based on the value and fit of each choice. Of the Panthers’ seven-pick class, Miller has four landing into his list—beginning with running back Jonathon Brooks at No. 38:

The strategy of the Panthers’ draft was bringing talent around Bryce Young. Brooks is a patient, powerful and agile runner who will boost the team’s running game. But maybe most importantly is that he is the best pass-protecting back in the class. That will get him on the field as soon as he’s recovered from November ACL surgery.

Before the Panthers swiped Brooks with the 46th overall selection, they traded up into the final spot of the first round—where they found Miller’s 44th-best pick in wideout Xavier Legette:

All throughout the pre-draft process, I was told the Panthers loved Legette. And they did enough to trade up a spot into the first round to land him. Legette’s power and speed after the catch will make life much easier for second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

Joining Brooks and Legette are linebacker and seventh-round pick Michael Barrett (No. 46) and fourth-round tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (No. 52).

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Panthers’ updated roster following 2024 NFL draft

Let’s throw the draft picks in the mix!

Although they’re not officially members of the Carolina Panthers roster, the team’s 2024 draft class will be joining the mix very soon. So, what will it all look like when they’re signed, sealed and delivered?

Here’s an updated look at the roster (excluding reported undrafted free-agent signings):