Given his somewhat unique athletic profile and his sample size of top-end production, Xavier Legette isn’t an easy prospect to find a comparison for. But there is a name that keeps making some rounds for the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick.
And that name is DK Metcalf, the two-time Pro Bowl wideout for the Seattle Seahawks. One of the latest comps between Legette and Metcalf comes out of the legwork done by ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler, who recently provided the following quote from an NFL personnel evaluator:
“Not quite the athlete Metcalf is but he’s got some game-breaking ability like that, and he can do a little more with versatility as a runner and pass-catcher.”
Metcalf entered the league a tad bigger than Legette—with the former measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds and the latter at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds. He was also a shade faster than the Mullins, S.C. native, posting a better 40-yard dash (4.33 seconds to 4.39 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.45 seconds to 1.54).
But something the two definitely have in common is a link to Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who shared a sideline with Metcalf in Seattle from 2019 to 2022. Canales had worked as the Seahawks’ wide receivers coach from 2010 to 2017 before serving as the quarterbacks coach 2018, 2019, 2022) and passing game coordinator (2020, 2021).
Oh, and they both also do that think where they expose their abs by folding up their uniform tops. (Aesthetic is key!)
