2024 Atlanta Falcons Potential Draft Pick Profile: WR Xavier Legette

Xavier Legette is an interesting prospect because he has just one year of production. Is that one year of production worth taking a gamble on for the Atlanta Falcons, though? That's the question that needs to be answered before the draft. He definitely has the speed, strength and frame to be a great player and compares stylistically to Atlanta legend Julio Jones. The only question is whether he will produce to the same level that Jones did for the Falcons.

Xavier Legette

University of South Carolina

Wide Receiver

Athletic Comparison and Numbers

Very few people are comparable to Julio Jones athletically, but Xavier Legette absolutely is. While the height difference is noticable in the measurements, it's not noticable on film. Legette plays bigger than he is based on how he boxes out defenders and uses his body to his advantage. His great jumping abilities allow him to be a contested catch maven as well. Teams will like Legette's tools more than his first few years of film, but he shows the full range of his athleticism his last year.

Stats and Awards

2023: 12 Games Played, 71 Catches, 1,255 Yards, 7 Touchdowns, 9 Carries, -9 Yards, 10 Kick Returns, 213 Yards, 2 Tackles, Senior Bowl, Third-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC, Blanchard-Rogers Finalist, Team Captain, Gamecock Team and Offensive MVP, Biletnikoff Semi-Finalist
2022: 13 Games Played, 18 Catches, 167 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 7 Carries, 21 Yards, 15 Kick Returns, 453 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Tackles, Gamecock Toughness Award
2021: 11 Games Played, 8 Catches, 63 Yards, 1 Touchdown
2020: 6 Games Played, 7 Catches, 113 Yards, 1 Tackle, SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll
2019: 11 Games Played, 9 Catches, 80 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Punt Return, -1 Yards, 4 Kick Returns, 113 Yards, 2 Tackles, SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Highlight Reel

Xavier Legette had nine catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns against Jacksonville State.

Scouting Report

Strengths

Xavier Legette is an exceptional wide receiver when he's allowed to use his abilities against man coverage to box out defenders and win in contested catch situations. He has fantastic athleticism and can burn a defense deep. He understands how to fight with the defenders and not get caught by referees. He can create explosives from anywhere on the field. Legette is also a hands catcher and not a body catcher which allows him to high point the ball even better. As a blocker, he's more than willing to smack around a defender and create a lane for his running back or fellow receivers.

Weaknesses

Legette is fantastic in a lot of parts of his game, but he has trouble getting release versus press coverage and needs to do a better job setting up defenders for his cuts. He needs to get with a coach in the NFL that will help him polish up his route running and release attack plan. The Gamecock needs to continue running hard through his routes and through his cuts, because he has trouble creating separation. The question here is whether he's doing this to compensate for sub-par quarterback play, though. Because Spencer Rattler was not a great quarterback, even by SEC standards.

Intangibles & Off-Field Red Flags

Off the field, Xavier Legette is about as team oriented as they come. He showed that he wouldn't care about taking a backseat if it would help the team win games early on in his career. He was clean off the field and never had any problems outside fo injuries. He suffered primarily minor injuries, but they kept him out of enough games and made an impact in others to hurt his long-term statistical ability. He also showed team-first nature by developing chemistry with the multiple Carolina quarterbacks.

NFL Stylistic Comparison: Julio Jones

Willing blocker? Check. Box out defenders and catch the ball in front of them? Check. Burn a defense deep? Check. Sounds a lot like Julio Jones when comparing Xavier Legette to NFL receivers historically. Originally, Deebo Samuel stuck out, but the more apt comparison is Jones. Legette isn't close to the level that Jones was coming out because he had a lot of injuries and poor quarterback play compared to what Jones had. But at the same time, he has the same kind of sky-high potential to be a great wide receiver in the NFL.

How does he fit in with the Atlanta Falcons

To procure the football services of Xavier Legette, the Falcons will have to draft him if he's there in the second round of the draft. Legette has a potential late-first round high end to his draft range. The Falcons would be perfect for Legette to develop because they have a highly talented quarterback who makes the players around him better. And he wouldn't have to be the No. 1 guy right away with Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, et al. on the roster to help take pressure off. This would allow him to be the key explosive guy when they get to the playoffs.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.