The Carolina Panthers hoped Xavier Legette was going to be a standout wideout when they drafted him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, that hasn’t happened and many have lost faith in the wide receiver, but one person remains positive on the idea that he will unleash his potential, and that’s head coach Dave Canales.
Per The Athletic’s Joseph Person, HC Dave Canales “still seems bullish on Xavier Legette figuring things out” in 2026. As of now, Legette is poised to be the WR3 for the Carolina Panthers behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.
Legette has all the physical tools to be a problem in the NFL. He has a good combination of speed, size, and outside presence, but he hasn’t been able to translate that into dominance. However, his head coach is still backing him.
Legette has competition for WR3 slot on the Panthers
After posting a stat line of 35 catches for 363 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, the Panthers saw fit to draft a new wideout. Selected in the third round out of Tennessee, the Panthers opened their doors for Chris Brazzell. He is the immediate competition of Legette.
Brazzell had 1,017 yards in 62 receptions and led the SEC with nine touchdowns. He was arguably the best player for the 8-5 Volunteers. The reason he fell to the third round was because of Tennessee, that has a run-and-gun scheme which makes it harder for the wideouts to translate to more complex NFL schemes.
Is Legette better than Brazzell?
That remains to be seen, of course, but Legette should have the advantage based solely on the fact that he knows the Panthers’ scheme much better than newly-arrived Brazzell. Both have a similar physical archetype and are treated as big-bodied deep threats.
To answer the question definitely, we’ll have to wait to see how the Panthers season unfolds. The one that gets more snaps, is the better wideout. As for now, head coach Dave Canales is trusting Legette takes a leap in production.
