Xavier Legette Scouting Report

Xavier Legette has some of the most exciting highlight reel plays of anyone in this class, but he is far from a complete receiver. After four years with minimal production at South Carolina, he broke out in a big way in 2023. That season, and a great performance at the NFL Combine, have him projected to be a second round pick in the NFL Draft.

In a talented WR class Legette still stands out for his physical traits, but the team that drafts him will need to have a plan for developing him. He won’t enter the league as the most polished WR but he has a valuable skill set that should allow him to play a fantasy relevant role while hopefully developing into a more complete player.

Year

Receptions

Receiving Yards

TDs

2023

71

1,255

7

 

Legette doesn’t grade particularly well in Dwain McFarland’s rookie WR super model, checking in as the WR18 in the class. He is being drafted well ahead of that which suggests we should proceed with caution as his profile doesn’t translate to a high chance of success. His adjusted yards per team pass attempt score is among the worst in this class and every other prospect that ranks near him is in danger of not being drafted so Legette’s production profile is an outlier for his projected draft capital.

Pros and Cons of Xavier Legette

Pros

Size and speed

Legette has a rare combination of size and speed that will intrigue plenty of NFL teams. He measured in at 6’1” and 221 lbs at the NFL Combine and crushed the athletic testing with a 4.39 second 40 yard dash and a 40” vertical which ranked among the best in the class.

His athletic profile is truly elite and it shows up on his film as he broke several big plays and was a nightmare to stop in the open field. A true home run threat on every play, it’s easy to see how a coaching staff could talk themselves into Legette with a day-two pick.

A creative offensive playcaller should be able to maximize his skill set and create opportunities for Legette to get the ball in space. I think he will be more dependent on his situation than a lot of other WR prospects which isn’t great, but there is still tons of upside if he has the right combination of scheme and QB to work with.

Good kick returner

Legette had more kick return yards than receiving yards through his first four college seasons. While we generally aren’t too concerned with special teams production for fantasy purposes, his ability in the return game solidifies the fact that he is a dynamic player in the open field and should increase his value to NFL teams with the new kick return rule. It could help boost his draft capital a little bit which should further secure his role for the first few seasons.

Excelling as a kick returner in college has been a positive indicator historically and it seems extra important in Legette’s case given how he wins. We know he is a good athlete, even by NFL standards, so his ability to navigate space when he has it will be key to making big plays in the NFL.

Cons

Age/Late breakout

I value breakout age highly at the WR position so the fact that Legette had almost no production in his first four collegiate seasons is a real concern. He recorded just 423 total receiving yards through those first four seasons and wasn’t really on the NFL radar. He broke out as a fifth-year senior and is now projected to get second-round draft capital.

This type of profile makes me nervous, especially when the early career production is totally absent like in Legette’s case. The fact that he is still such a raw prospect after five seasons in college is also a concern when it comes to projecting continued development. Legette may be closer to his final form than we would hope.

He is one of the oldest WR prospects in this class and most of the other prospects that are already 23+ years old are expected to be late-round picks. The only prospect close to Legette’s age and projected draft capital combo is Florida WR Ricky Pearsall. 

Route running

Legette definitely has room to refine his game. He’s an inconsistent route runner who doesn’t display great lateral quickness to create separation on breaking routes. He did a lot of his damage on simple concepts like drag routes when he could get the ball in space and get up to full speed. He was also effective on deep vertical routes but was not as productive in the short and intermediate areas of the field. A high percentage of his deep targets resulted in contested catch situations which suggests he may not have been separating well, but he was very good in that area with seven contested catches on deep targets, tied for third-most among college WRs in 2023.

To become a high-level NFL WR he will need to expand his route tree and get better at beating press coverage off the line of scrimmage. His lack of lateral quickness allows defenders to jam him which can mess up timing routes and slow down play development. If he can’t add those skills it will be tough for him to be a consistent producer.

His best chance for early success will involve plenty of schemed-up touches. I expect his production to be pretty volatile on a game-to-game basis but that should come with a handful of spike week performances as well.

Fantasy Outlook for Xavier Legette

I’m viewing Legette as one of the more extreme boom-or-bust WR prospects in this class. His athletic traits can’t be coached but he will need to develop if he is going to become a consistent force at the next level.

I think Legette can deliver some fantasy value early in his career as an explosive gadget player, especially if he lands in a favorable spot. On the flip side, if he goes in the early second round to a team with poor QB play I will almost certainly be behind the market on him.

The upside case for a player like Legette is clear to see but there are glaring red flags we shouldn’t ignore too. I want to be in on this type of player but it’s all about cost and Legette is going pretty high in a class where I like a lot of other WRs more. It’s pretty scary to fade someone with Legette’s explosive playmaking ability but if the hype train keeps pushing him up draft boards I won’t be taking him often in Dynasty or best ball.