Xavier Legette gets his football prowess from an extremely unusual place

Xavier Legette, the Carolina Panthers' first-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft, learned his feel for the game from an unusual place. 

Legette, a star during his final season at the University of South Carolina, dawns from a small town in Mullins. While living in the rural Palmetto State town, he learned how to ride a horse. 

As he preps for his first NFL season, he told David Newton of ESPN that riding horses taught him the intangible aspect of the game– feel. 

"With a horse, if they're not feeling you, they put their ears back,'' Legette said. "How does that compare to me in football? I have to feel [the defenders'] energy to see if I'm going to be able to be cool with them. Horses can feel your energy, just like any animal can feel if you're afraid of it.

"They give you indicators. You have to stay alert, just like in football."

Legette was coveted by the Panthers because of the players he reminded general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales of – DK Metcalf and Mike Evans. 

He has also earned the glowing praise of veteran Adam Thielen. 

He has a unique blend of size, speed and go-get-it ability. It turns out all of that first started for the small-town kid when he was riding his horse named Dolla Bill. It is unconventional, but it works.