Panthers WR Xavier Legette tabbed as potential trade candidate

The Carolina Panthers didn't need to take a wideout in the first round of the NFL draft again this year. But they did address the position a little later on.

In the third round of the selection process, the Panthers took Tennessee star Chris Brazzell II with the 83rd overall pick. The move shakes up Carolina's ever-churning receiver room yet again—and nobody should have more cause for concern than Xavier Legette.

So, it only makes sense that the struggling 2024 first-rounder—according to Joe Person of The Athletic—comes out of the 2026 draft as one of the team's biggest losers. Person writes:

With the arrival of Brazzell, Legette lands in the “losers” category for the second year in a row. It was easy to see the Panthers’ selection of Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick last year as an indictment of Legette, who has struggled with drops, field awareness and general inconsistency... If he can clean up some of the things that have slowed his development, he’ll be in the WR rotation. If not, he won’t — and becomes a potential trade candidate.

Legette, who is set to enter his third pro campaign, has had only a handful of good games thus far. Over his first two seasons, he's amassed just 860 yards and seven touchdowns over 84 receptions.

More often, he has made either no impact at all or has been a net negative on the field. And heading into 2026, Legette could project as the team's fourth wide receiver on the depth chart beneath 2025 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Brazzell.

That's a tough spot for a former first-round pick to be in, but at least Legette probably doesn't have to worry about getting traded. While Legette has plenty of size and athleticism to spare, the results have been so poor that Carolina would be lucky to get any type of worthwhile compensation in return for him.

The Panthers would be better off keeping Legette for now and hoping he can turn things around, or at least boost his trade value a bit by showing some serious improvement this coming season.