Panthers trade into the first round, draft Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall :: WRALSportsFan.com
The Panthers just couldn’t wait any longer.
With time winding down on night one of the NFL Draft, Carolina snuck back into the first round, making a trade with the Buffalo Bills and drafting South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette at No. 32 overall.
Legette has been telling anyone who would listen that the Panthers wanted to draft him at No. 33 (which was their original pick). Turns out, he was exactly right, just one spot off.
It’s easy to see why the Panthers like what they see in Legette. He’s 6’1″, 221 lbs, which is big for a wide receiver, and ran a blazing fast 4.39 40-yard dash.
Sometimes, straight-line speed like that doesn’t translate to the football field. That’s not a problem for Xavier Legette.
He was South Carolina’s most explosive and versatile playmaker last season, drawing several comparisons to another former Gamecock, Deebo Samuel.
New Panthers head coach Dave Canales was obviously sold.
Legette caught 71 passes for 1,255 yards and 7 touchdowns as a senior, earning himself 2nd team All-SEC honors. Oh, and he’s got good hands too.
So in summary, Legette is big, he’s fast and the Panthers were obviously in love with him.
Seems like a solid pick with high upside. Hard to argue against that.
(Here’s another highlight for good measure.)
So what about the rest of the draft?
Rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft will happen on Friday night in Detroit.
Just like Thursday night, things will get started at 8 pm EST on Friday, now with just 7 minutes between picks.
It will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and the NFL Network.
Streaming options include ESPN+, Fubo, Hulu+ Live TV, NFL+ and YouTubeTV. Several options offer a free trial to new subscribers.
Panthers current draft picks
After the Legette pick, the Panthers now hold six more picks in this year’s draft.
- Round 2, Pick 7 (39th overall)
- Round 3, Pick 1 (65th overall)
- Round 4, Pick 1 (101st overall)
- Round 5, Pick 6 (142nd overall)
- Round 6, Pick 24 (200th overall)
- Round 7, Pick 20 (240th overall)
Who might the Panthers draft next?
Even after trading away No. 33, Panther fans won’t have to wait too long to see Carolina go to work on Friday.
The Panthers hold the No. 39 overall pick (the 7th pick of the night) and, lucky for them, they should plenty of great options to choose from at that spot.
Carolina addressed arguably their biggest need by drafting Xavier Legette on Thursday, so they’ll likely want to focus on another position group such as cornerback, edge rusher or offensive line.
Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean is still on the board after night one (although I’d be surprised if he made it to No. 39), as is Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinistry,
Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw could also be one to watch if the Panthers choose to build their secondary.
Other options to watch include Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton and Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske.
Or, if they want to get really crazy and draft receiver again, the Panthers could also look at Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell, Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, Oregon’s Troy Franklin or Florida State’s Keon Coleman, all of whom are still available.
Good thing we can talk about the draft and not the latest David Tepper incident, right?
Yup.
Source: wralsportsfan.com