PFF: Panthers UDFA Jalen Coker 'consistently looked better' than first-rounder Xavier Legette in 2024

While it looks like the Carolina Panthers landed a pretty special 2025 NFL draft class, it's entirely too early to make any kind of definitive judgements about this group. After all, last year's rookie class for Carolina should be a lasting lesson for just how common it is for expectations to be totally upended once these guys actually hit the field in a live game.

With their first pick in the 2024 draft, the Panthers traded up to the bottom of the first round for South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. He was expected to take on a significant role in the passing game, especially after Diontae Johnson ran himself out of town. However, Legette's rookie season wound up being a bitter disappointment - especially in the second half of the season when he switched primarily to the "X" role.

All together, Legette put up 49 catches on 84 targets, totaling 497 yards and four touchdowns. Legette appeared to have a break-through game against Cincinnati, posting 66 yards and a score. However, he never reached 60 yards again all year and didn't score a touchdown after Week 9 against the Saints.

Meanwhile, one of Carolina's undrafted rookies was showing off some surprise potential. Jalen Coker came into the league mostly unheralded - despite Panthers legend Steve Smith dubbing him the best route runner in the draft. Coker didn't see much action until Week 5, and dealt with a quad injury later in the year that limited him to just 11 games all season. Nevertheless, Coker was able to flash several times en route to 32 catches, 478 yards and two touchdowns despite seeing just 46 targets.

Along the way Coker frequently looked more dynamic and reliable than Legette, and a lot of folks noticed - including Pro Football Focus. They have named Coker the Panthers' most underrated player going into 2025, which included this brutal note.

PFF on Xavier Legette-Jalen Coker

"The Panthers spent a first-round pick on Xavier Legette last offseason and only scooped up Coker as an undrafted free agent. The expectation for Legette to be the most effective receiver wasn't unreasonable, though Coker consistently looked like the better option in 2024. He ranked fourth among qualifying rookie receivers in yards per route run (1.72) on the year."

Legette and Coker are still very early in their respective careers, and both have plenty of time to either widen this gap betweem them or completely reverse it. That said, the early returns on Legette were pretty radically disappointing, especially given the draft capital it took to trade up to secure a potential fifth-year option that right now looks like a very long shot to get picked up.

A lot of NFL players struggle as rookies, though - and many of them come out looking far more polished in their second season when the game begins to slow down. Many receivers don't really hit their stride until Year 3, either. The Panthers have to hope Legette will make a pretty big sophomore leap, though. Otherwise he's likely to get lost in the shuffle as first-round-pick Tetairoa McMillan projects to be the team's number one target.