Panthers trade up into first round of NFL draft, select WR Xavier Legette from South Carolina

By STEVE REED The Associated Press
FILE - South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) looks for his teammates after a 65-yard touchdown reception during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Jacksonville State on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina's best playmakers on offense the past two years are all gone, meaning this spring is a search for consistency and production from an attack that had its struggles last season. With Spencer Rattler and Legette awaiting NFL draft picks — Legette a likely first-rounder, Rattler a mid-round choice — it's up to inexperienced newcomers and transfers to push the Gamecocks forward. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Artie Walker Jr.]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have selected wide receiver Xavier Legette from South Carolina after trading up one spot to get into the bottom of the first round. The move gives quarterback Bryce Young another weapon in the passing game. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound Legette had 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Gamecocks. Legette joins Panthers receivers Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and last year’s second-round pick, Jonathan Mingo. He was one of seven wide receivers taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

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