2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Xavier Legette, WR South Carolina
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Xavier Legette, a Wide Receiver from South Carolina. He is from Mullins, South Carolina, and was a 4-star recruit out of Mullins High School.
In 2019, as a freshman at South Carolina, he appeared in 11 games and struggled to produce. His end-of-season stat line was 9 receptions for 80 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. His 2020 sophomore season was equally as unimpressive. In 6 games for South Carolina, he caught 7 receptions for 113 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns.
His 2021 and 2022 seasons were no better as he struggled to prove himself. In 2021, as a junior, he caught 8 passes for 63 yards and 1 touchdown in 11 games and followed that up with 18 receptions for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in 13 games, easily his best season to that point.
After four full seasons with the Gamecocks that saw him net a total of 42 receptions for 423 Receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in 41 games, he finally broke out in 2023 as a fifth-year senior. In 12 games, Legette recorded 71 catches for 1,255 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
Measurables
NCAA Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2019 | South Carolina | SEC | FR | WR | 11 | 9 | 80 | 8.9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 80 | 8.9 | 1 | |
| 2020 | South Carolina | SEC | SO | WR | 6 | 7 | 113 | 16.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 113 | 16.1 | 0 | |
| *2021 | South Carolina | SEC | JR | WR | 11 | 8 | 63 | 7.9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 63 | 7.9 | 1 | |
| *2022 | South Carolina | SEC | SR | 13 | 18 | 167 | 9.3 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 3.0 | 0 | 25 | 188 | 7.5 | 3 | |
| 2023 | South Carolina | SEC | SR | WR | 12 | 71 | 1255 | 17.7 | 7 | 9 | -9 | -1.0 | 0 | 80 | 1246 | 15.6 | 7 |
| Career | South Carolina | 113 | 1678 | 14.8 | 12 | 16 | 12 | 0.8 | 0 | 129 | 1690 | 13.1 | 12 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Is a trustworthy receiver who can make catches in high-traffic areas.
- Has excellent speed and acceleration and gets separation easily.
- He can outrun nearly any cornerback with ease.
- Is an elite deep threat, who excels with vertical routes.
- A contested-catch specialist that relies on physicality and size to win at the point of catch.
Weaknesses
- Tends to make catches with his body instead of his hands.
- Struggles to get open vs zone coverage and lacks a feel for finding the open spots against the scheme.
- Lacks effort at times and struggles to get open as a result, especially against press coverage.
- Had extremely limited production throughout for seasons and only should have a true breakout season as a fifth-year senior who was bigger and stronger than most of his competition.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Late 1st Round/Early 2nd Round
Ideal Landing Spot: Dallas Cowboys
Legette is a truly horrifying prospect. He is currently projected to go in the last few picks of the first round and that seems way too high.
He spent five years at South Carolina, and in four of those seasons he recorded a full-season stat line that would qualify as a good game for most first-round picks.
The size and speed are there and he has miles of potential but this reminds me of a Bo Gentry situation for those of you who have seen “Trouble With the Curve”. He’s got tons of potential, but he’s not a first-round pick.
Legette feels like the most obvious first-round bust I can remember in recent years.
Post-Draft Analysis
Pick 1.32 to the Carolina Panthers
Legette
Check out The Fantasy Football Universe video breakdown of Xavier Legette below.
