The hamstring issue, according to ESPN’s David Newton, popped up last week during OTAs and has lingered into this week’s practices. Legette, widely seen as an unrefined wideout coming out of South Carolina, can’t afford to miss much time in summer practices if he’s going to play consistent snaps in Carolina’s offense this season. His hamstring issue is one worth monitoring.

“I feel like the coaches kind of thought the same thing, as well,” Legette said of what was a popular scouting observation. “So I feel like that was important. I put emphasis on making that happen and being able to show them that I could do that through the process.” Legette also admitted some have nitpicked his ability to get in and out of his breaks, but he believes it’s because of his bigger size. “A lot of folks say a lot of bigger guys can’t get in and out of their breaks. But I’m gonna show them (otherwise).” Already 23 years old, Legette is going to have to clean up his game in a hurry at the highest level.

The Panthers have signed their entire seven-man draft class ahead of Friday’s rookie minicamp. Legette’s deal includes a fifth-year team option for 2028 after the Panthers traded back into the first round to select him. New coach Dave Canales has talked up manufactured touches for the late South Carolina breakout, suggesting he isn’t going to be an immediate point of emphasis down the field. With so many moving parts in the Panthers’ offense as they attempt to prevent Bryce Young’s career from going off the rails, Legette doesn’t seem terribly likely to make a WR3 impact as a rookie,

After entering the day without a first-round pick, the Panthers traded the No. 33 pick and No. 141 pick to the Bills in exchange for picks 32 and 200. With that move up, they selected Legette (6’1/221), who has ideal size for an outside receiver, which is where he took 73.6 percent of his snaps from during his five seasons at South Carolina. The former four-star recruit didn’t see much playing time early in his career, totaling just 423 years through his first four seasons. In 2023, Legette broke out for 71-1255-7 while averaging an impressive 17.7 YPR and 3.15 YPRR – ranking in the top 10 amongst Power Five WRs (min. 60 targets) in both categories. Legette blazed a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and had the sixth-best vertical jump at 40 inches. He’s a late-career breakout who also struggled against press coverage in limited action, but some polishing at the professional level could be all that’s standing between Legette turning into a legitimate threat on the outside. The Panthers will hope Legette is more than just a one-year wonder and can provide help to second-year quarterback Bryce Young.