Film Session: Xavier Legette NFL draft prospect profile

Pro scouting report of South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette

Xavier Legette is a fifth-year senior wide receiver from the University of South Carolina. Legette started 32 out of 53 games with the Gamecocks.

What to make of Xavier Legette as a wide receiver? Here are my takeaways from Legette’s college film.

At the line of scrimmage, Legette wins with athleticism. Against the press, he wins with initial quickness using single-move releases. He also has good acceleration getting into his routes. Legette has some hand usage against more aggressive DBs, using swim or swipe moves to stay clean against those defenders. His release plan against the press is better than average and shows he can fight through pressure. Against soft press or bail are where his ability to tempo routes begins to take over. Legette uses good foot speed and acceleration to sell vertical stems and manipulate defenders’ blind spots. Against Off-coverage, he shows he can consistently close cushion with his foot speed and acceleration.

On full-speed routes, Legette displays impressive explosiveness. He uses burst and acceleration at the breakpoint to create initial separation that he can maintain with his foot speed. He has solid processing when stemming routes and recognizing opportunities to defeat DBs’ leverage.

Xavier Legette is impressive with his route tempo on change of direction routes, manipulating it to lure defenders out of position at the breakpoint. He has good overall processing, manipulating DB hips on these types of routes, with the necessary upper body movement with head fakes to influence DB movement, defeating their leverage. He is effective with Pressure steps and is able to use his explosiveness when pushing vertically on out-breaking routes. Legette is smooth at the breakpoint changing directions as he can sink hips and transition out of breaks on routes like hitches, digs, and outs. He shows average play strength in his physicality at the breakpoint, showing some separation ability in that aspect.

Xavier Legette is a pass catcher with exceptional overall grip strength and ball security. His hands are good on the move and stationary targets. Legette’s competitiveness is displayed in his willingness to fully extend for passes, and he can pluck passes away from his frame. As a pass catcher, he displays very good physical toughness overall. He also has very good body control and has the ability to adjust to most passing trajectories. Legette can adjust to low, high, and behind passes and has the necessary awareness on sideline or endzone targets. His concentration on over the shoulder targets is good as well. In contested situations, he can high-point passes or fully extend for them when necessary, showing a top-tier level of competitive toughness.

After the catch Legette can create with the ball in his hands. He is a shifty runner with above-average elusiveness and change of direction after the catch to add to the catch. His burst and explosiveness are dangerous after the catch with sustainable long speed to take it the distance. He also shows good overall contact balance as a runner.

My concerns with Legette start in the passing game. While he has some moves against the press, he still needs to develop his release plan against that coverage. Effective NFL press DBs can control Legette in the route phase if they can get their hands on him at the line of scrimmage. At the breakpoint, he lacks above-average quickness out of breaks, which could allow defenders to stay in phase out of his breaks. In the run game, Legette shows a below-average willingness to block. Additionally, while he can self-ID and occupy defenders when necessary, he doesn’t have impressive block sustain, and defenders can easily shed.