It’s not easy to find the light at the end of the tunnel for the Carolina Panthers right now. The team sits at 1-5, is currently allowing the most points in all of the NFL and still has quite the quarterback conundrum on their hands.
But there are a few little bright spots at the moment, thanks to rookie wideouts Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.
The recent emergence of the two has been set up by the hamstring injury and absence of veteran Adam Thielen as well as the struggles of second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo. While Diontae Johnson remains the top target in the room, the youngsters have stepped up and have been contributing their fair share over the last few weeks.
President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan traded up one spot into the first round of this year’s draft to acquire Legette, a standout playmaker from the University of South Carolina. While there have been some concerns about his rawness—his size, athleticism, ball skills and run-after-catch ability have already translated early in his career.
Xavier Legette is going to be a baller for the #Panthers. This is what he does well and should be utilized plenty in the red area. Flashes of elite high-pointing and concentration through the catch. Good corner route, too, plus the ball placement from Dalton. pic.twitter.com/kfAJk0O7DZ
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) October 15, 2024
Legette is still growing as a route runner and is still getting a feel against zone coverage. Yet, each week shows progression.
In the clip above from Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Legette runs a great route against Cover 4 to work into the void in the left corner of the end zone. He does an excellent job of high-pointing the ball while showing great concentration through the catch.
The ceiling may also be high for Coker, whose draft stock took a hit based off the lower-level competition he faced at the College of Holy Cross. But that worry has begun to fade already in the pros.
Coker displays veteran-like savviness as a route runner. The following is a great nod at the top of the corner route to create separation. Quarterback Andy Dalton has to make a far hash throw and the ball isn’t on a line, forcing Coker to make a great adjustment by flattening his route to make the catch and move the chains.
Jalen Coker…I feel really good about this one. The route running, hands…it feels legit.
Great nod at the top of the route to create separation on the 7 route. Good adjustment to come back to the ball. Tough, yet good throw by Dalton. pic.twitter.com/oaWyOHlCPO
— Jared Feinberg (@JRodNFLDraft) October 15, 2024
The fact that an undrafted free agent is making a significant impact this early in the season is not common. But to some, it’s not a total surprise. There were many fans of Coker during the pre-draft process from the online draft community.
Some have argued– and seemingly correctly– that his route-running ability, physicality and natural ball skills would translate to the NFL level. Again, the biggest question was whether he could keep and improve his play with the heightened physicality.
The results from Legette and Coker have shown that the Panthers offense actually has some depth. It’s a clear difference from a year ago, when the team lacked semi-competent playmakers.
To be fair, this isn’t to say that the futures of these two rookies are set in stone. They must continue to grow and develop, something head coach Dave Canales has preached in building his culture.
But for now, seeing the early returns from these beloved youngsters has been a treat in an otherwise tough-to-swallow season.
