Fantasy football fans, this is what we’ve been waiting for. nfl draft Underway, and we finally get to see where the newcomer prospects are going to start their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to focus on fantasy football dynasty rookie draft Select value. Here, we’ll break down WR Xavier Leggett and his fit with the Carolina Panthers.
Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, give you an overview of their strengths and weaknesses, and assess their fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats.
Let’s dig in.
Fantasy football rookie draft outlook
Fitz’s fantasy football outlook
South Carolina WR Xavier Leggett will make a short trip north to begin his professional career after being selected by the Carolina Panthers with the last pick of the first round. The Panthers traded with the Bills for the rights to Leggett’s selection.
Leggett may have the toughest evaluation of any wide receiver in this draft class. He is 6-1 and 221 pounds with exceptional athleticism. According to PlayerProfiler.com, he ran a 4.39 at the combine, giving him a 98th percentile speed score. Leggett also had a vertical jump of 40 inches and posted relative athletic scores. Leggett’s speed and athleticism are evident on film. He’s dangerous after the catch and has good hands.
It’s Leggett’s college production profile that raises questions. During his first four seasons at South Carolina, he was an afterthought in the Gamecocks’ offense. In his fourth year, he had 18 catches for 167 yards. But Leggett exploded as a fifth-year senior with 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.
Xavier Leggett played quarterback as a senior in high school, so it’s understandable that things didn’t immediately work out for him as a college wide receiver. But do we trust a player who doesn’t succeed until his fifth college season? The 23-year-old Leggett is also a somewhat undersized prospect, which could be a turnoff for some dynasty managers.
Carolina is not an ideal landing spot for Leggett. Diontae Johnson, whom the Panthers signed in the offseason, is likely to be the Panthers’ leading receiver, and Carolina is likely to have a low-octane passing game overall. Last year the Panthers had 3,245 passing yards, the fewest in the league. Despite significant improvement from second-year QB Bryce Young, the Panthers are unlikely to have a stellar passing attack in 2024.
The upside is that if Leggett can make a smooth adjustment to the NFL, he could climb Carolina’s WR depth chart quickly. Adam Thielen turned 34 in August, and Jonathan Mingo didn’t do much as a rookie.
In the dynasty, I have Leggett ranked WR10 among newcomers and WR50 overall. Expect him to come off the board in the second round of the 1QB Rookie Draft and the mid to late second round of the Superflex Draft.
Xavier Leggett’s predraft FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking was WR82 in half-point PPR formats, and he had a predraft underdog best-ball ADP of WR72. I have Leggett ranked WR77 for the redraft.
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Thor’s NFL Draft Profile and Player Comp
Xavier Leggett , South Carolina
6010/221 | RAS: 9.9
Comp: David Boston
Big, well-built receiver with inside/outside versatility. The longtime special-teams player, who began 2023 with a 71-1,255-7 line — had never posted more than 167 receiving yards in his previous four seasons on campus. This means he’s going to be the first WR after Velus Jones Going in the top three rounds despite never topping 500 receiving yards his first four years in college.
Leggett, fortunately, is blessed with very good hands – he spears balls outside his frame and catches burning insects out of the field. Last season, Leggett dropped just two balls on 97 targets. He is a flexible athlete with strong legs for his size. Acrobatic high-point jump-ball boy. Have a good feel for working the edge and keeping your feet inside the puck when going high for balls.
He has a knack for not losing momentum when turning upfield after the catch, which helps maximize YAC opportunities. This is important, because surprisingly Leggett, despite his muscle, is not a tackle-breaking machine. This is because as a North-South athlete he is an easy target who does not change direction easily.
For a worker bee-type, another strange part of his profile: Leggett is a mediocre run blocker. With a little effort, he should at least pass this stage, keeping his frame in mind. But it is noteworthy that last year he did not give it.
Leggett profiles as a solid NFL No. 2 boundary WR. He brings a wealth of experience on various special teams units in his first four years on campus, so he’ll give you a core special-teamer from day one.
Check out more NFL Draft profiles and player comps from Thor at our 2024 nfl draft guide
dynasty rookie draft rankings
Our analysts provide their latest rookie draft rankings below. And also see our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings,
More Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
- DeBrow’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primer
- DeBrow’s Top 50 Rankings and Player Notes
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