With the NFL draft set to begin Thursday the world of pre-draft analysis has give us a good idea of what players may be available when the 49ers are on the clock at No. 31 overall. While that range of players is fairly large, there is still plenty of room for surprises.
One potential surprise for the 49ers in the first round is South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette, who told Justin Melo of the Draft Network he had a 30 visit with San Francisco during the pre-draft process. The 49ers were one of at least 13 teams to have Legette in for a pre-draft visit.
Legette hasn’t gotten a ton of first-round buzz. NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah has him at No. 49 on his big board. Jeremiah’s colleague Lance Zierlein has the 23-year-old projected as a second-round pick. Dane Brugler of the Athletic has him tagged as a third-round pick.
A selection of Legette would surely be marked down as a reach, but it’s easy to see why the 49ers would fall in love with him as a prospect. He’s built like a tank at 6-1, 221 pounds and he wields that size effectively to wall off smaller defenders and win both at the catch point and after the catch. His on-field speed was backed up by a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
While Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley is the one drawing Deebo Samuel comparisons in this year’s class, it’s not hard to envision Legette holding a similar role in the 49ers’ offense.
There’s a reason Legette has been getting Day 2 projections though despite his size and athleticism. He’s not a super crisp route runner or separator. He was also an extremely late breakout player. Through his first four college seasons he played in 41 games with 20 starts and posted only 42 catches for 423 yards and five touchdowns. In 2023 he broke out in a big way though, hauling in 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns.
Ultimately it’s not likely the 49ers make Legette a first-round pick. If they wind up going with a wide receiver on Day 1 the options appear to be players like Georgia’s Ladd McConkey or LSU’s Brian Thomas if he falls. Pre-draft projections would indicate Legette is more likely a Day 2 target for San Francisco.
His name is definitely worth knowing for 49ers fans though and if the 49ers do make a surprise Day 1 selection there’s an easy case to make for it to be Legette.
