The Carolina Panthers ended 2023 with the worst record in the NFL, as the team only managed to win two games out of 17. Though this would have meant the team secured the No. 1 overall pick, they traded that pick to the Chicago Bears to draft Bryce Young in 2023.
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Instead, the Panthers were able to pick No. 32 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and used the pick to draft Xavier Legette from South Carolina. The hope is that Legette can offer a boost to the pass-catching prowess of the team.
While there is hope that Legette is set to carve out a starting role, he had to exit practice Sunday with a leg injury.
According to head coach David Canales, “It’s something in his lower leg. I don’t want to get into any details. We’re just going to evaluate him this afternoon as a precaution, and then we’ll go from there — I’ll have more information.”
Legette exited practice early on Sunday, and the words from Canales indicate he will be evaluated later to determine the severity of the injury.
The good news is Canales stated the Panthers are evaluating Legette as a “precaution,” meaning he might have only suffered a minor injury. Either way, an injury that resulted in missed time would be detrimental to the wide receiver corps of the Panthers.
Apart from Legette, the Panthers have veterans Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson in the starting positions. Thielen secured 1,104 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, and Johnson secured 717 yards and five touchdowns while playing with the Steelers in 2023.
After that, there is a severe drop-off in terms of productive receivers on the roster. D.J. Chark secured 525 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, but he has since signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Legette is meant to be a starter, and his performance in his final year with South Carolina in 2023 led to the Panthers using their first-round pick on him. Legette secured 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in his final year in college after his other four seasons saw the young receiver not even crack 300 receiving yards.
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Legette is already slated as a starter on the depth chart, and the leg injury he suffered while in practice might be cause for concern for the Panthers. However, the initial words from Canales could indicate that the injury is minor and the additional testing is only a precaution.
With only a few weeks left of training camp and preseason, the hope is Legette can return to the field to develop chemistry with Young.
The post Panthers First-Round Pick Exits Practice With Significant Injury appeared first on Newsweek.
