The Carolina Panthers used the 83rd overall pick on Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II Friday night, adding a 6’4”, 198 pound deep threat with 4.37 speed to a receiving corps that already includes Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.
It was a pick the Panthers’ front office didn’t expect to make at that spot. And for Xavier Legette, it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The numbers don’t lie
GettyPanthers WR Xavier Legette
Through two seasons, Xavier Legette has put up 84 receptions for 860 yards and seven touchdowns on 148 targets… That’s a 56.8 percent catch rate. Even further, his production actually declined from Year 1 to Year 2. You don’t want to see that trajectory.
The physical tools were always there. Size, speed, the prototypical mold. But consistently winning at the catch point and creating separation? That’s been the problem.
Chris Brazzell and Legette are both big-bodied receivers. Brazzell caught 13 of 23 targets of 20+ yards in 2025 and led the SEC in receiving yards per game at 84.8.
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales couldn’t hide his excitement: “We weren’t expecting Chris to be there. We’re sitting there waiting, and he just kept dropping right to us,” Canales said. “Just what a great opportunity for us to just add to that room, just another element, another dimension, and create a competitive roster.”
The thing that separates Brazzell from your typical big receiver is his ability to finish plays while staying on his feet. Most guys his size lay out for deep balls and hit the turf. Brazzell doesn’t. Canales pointed to that specifically, calling it “very rare.”
Brazzell himself wasn’t shy about his ceiling, either. “You can just throw the ball my way, I’m going to go get it,” he said on his post-draft call. “I’m a playmaker. I’m a guy you can count on third-and-3, third-and-8, third-and-20.”
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted nearly 50 percent of Brazzell’s routes in 2025 were hitches or go routes, so there’s route tree development needed. But the talent and the traits are legitimate.
Xavier Legette is on the clock
GettyPanthers WR Xavier Legette
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young took a step forward in Year 3. He needs another one in Year 4, and you simply can’t give him a pass if the front office isn’t doing its part. GM Dan Morgan has drafted a wide receiver in each of the last three years. That’s not an accident.
Tetairoa McMillan won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025. Jalen Coker is a solid intermediate option. Now Chris Brazzell stretches the field vertically. And with guys like Jimmy Horn Jr., John Metchie III, and Brycen Tremayne waiting in the wings, Legette’s future looks bleak.
The truth is that sometimes picks just don’t work out. That’s the NFL. What separates good front offices from bad ones is knowing when to move on before it’s too late.
Legette isn’t cut or traded yet, and he’ll get his shot in camp. But the depth chart math is getting ugly fast.
Xavier Legette will be 26 years old this season. He’s already had two years to prove it. Now the window is closing.
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