A loss never really feels that good, so it may not be accurate to describe Carolina Panthers wideout Xavier Legette as “happy” following his team’s 34-24 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. But the vibes were still pretty solid for 23-year-old rookie following his fourth NFL game.
“I’ve been telling them boys all week—if I get my first, then I’m gonna ride Dolla Bill off the field. And that’s what I did,” Legette told reporters of his touchdown.
“Dolla Bill,” of course, is Legette’s horse—and he “rode him” around the end zone upon notching his first career score.
Legettey Up 🐎@budlight | #easytocelebrate pic.twitter.com/CEtyD7JKrU
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 29, 2024
And that score (and celebration) certainly won’t be his last.
With veteran Adam Thielen out for the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury, the door has opened for Legette to take on a larger role. In his first career start, he turned 10 targets into six catches for 66 yards and two carries into 10 more yards. The flashes were on full display Sunday, and those will continue to increase as the season goes on.
Legette received some criticism as a draft prospect due to some technical inconsistencies as a route runner and separator. However, his 6-foot-3, 227-pound frame and 4.39-second 40-yard time was seen as something that could translate to the next level.
Furthermore, the former South Carolina standout was a run-after-catch savant with the second-level burst to split defenders and race into the end zone untouched. His ball skills were one of his strengths as well, as he won his fair share of contested passes. This is what the intrigue was about his future professional prospects.
Xavier Legette is getting there. He ran some good routes and used his play strength to create separation at the top of his routes.
RAC flashed again, showing the burst and the balance to shed would-be tacklers.
His role is only expanding! #Panthers pic.twitter.com/cf7352DUAc
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) October 2, 2024
In the last four weeks, those strengths have prevailed. Legette has shown the ability to use his powerful upper half to create separation at the top of his routes. The routes he ran Sunday were crisp, as he displayed improvement in selling them and hitting the right landmarks.
But there were inconsistencies, like any rookie would have. Legette had two bad drops, both of them in the second half. There were also some body catches and some jumps for the ball that were unnecessary.
This, though, shouldn’t be a signal that he is going to have a bad year. These are the types of mistakes needed to improve as a player, especially in one’s rookie campaign.
The Panthers have a rookie who is ready to burst into the open, both figuratively and literally. It would come to no surprise if Legette is a significant threat defenses have to account for by year’s end.
