CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Xavier Legette sat alone in front of his locker earlier this month as the Carolina Panthers prepared for their first playoff game since 2017. He stared silently at his cell phone as fellow wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and David Moore did interviews and reporters passed him without stopping.
It was almost like the No. 32 pick of the 2024 NFL draft was forgotten in a season when Carolina had become relevant again by making the playoffs.
Legette gets it. He understands McMillan, the No. 8 pick in 2025 and leading candidate to be NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, was brought in to be the No. 1 receiver because Legette was inconsistent as a rookie.
He understands Coker, an undrafted rookie out of Holy Cross, emerged as the No. 2 receiver in the regular-season finale when he had six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown and took 92% of the snaps, compared to Legette's 31%.
That became clearer in the 34-31 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in which Coker had nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown while Legette had one catch for 8 yards.
Legette also understands he is entering a pivotal point in his career.
"All I can do is what I do,'' Legette said. "From a production standpoint, I don't even know what to say about that part. The mistakes that I make, they're critical mistakes in a sense, but at the same time I've just got to play better on the production part.''
The mistakes have been glaring. He had a 14% drop rate as a rookie, the most among 2024 receivers who had 75 or more targets. The most memorable drop was a potential game-winning touchdown against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14.
That spilled over into 2025, when he failed to get his feet inbounds on a routine play in an opening-day loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had minus-2 yards on eight targets in a Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. And he lateraled the ball to running back Rico Dowdle for a 9-yard loss in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Mental errors and poor route running have led to a steady decrease in snaps. He went from 79.7% during the first six games to 64.7% the next six. His workload dropped to 50.3% for the last three regular-season games, and he played 35.7% over the regular-season finale and wild-card game.
Of the seven players selected in the first round in 2024, Legette has fewer receptions (84) than everyone but the San Francisco 49ers' Ricky Pearsall (67), whose health has limited him to 20 games.
Despite Legette's struggles, the Panthers remain positive about the former South Carolina star, who emerged as a high draft pick after catching 71 passes for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in his fifth and final college season.
"The thing I respect about Xavier is that through this process, all he's done is work,'' coach Dave Canales said. "All he's done is just continue to try to find ways; 'How can I help?' He continued to block, and he continued to be available.''
Canales noted Legette returned some kicks in practice late in the season. If you're not among the top two to three receivers, it's tough to remain active on game day without being valuable on special teams.
"He's just made of the right stuff,'' Canales said. "I have full faith and confidence that Xavier will bounce back and have an excellent year next year."
General manager Dan Morgan hasn't given up on Legette. Asked about the struggles of the 6-foot-3, 227-pound receiver and 2024 third-round linebacker Trevin Wallace in their second seasons, he quickly came to their defense.
"We're all so quick to judge these guys,'' Morgan said. "They're maybe not developing as quick as the outside wants, but you've got to be patient with these guys.''
Further developing the WR room is important for quarterback Bryce Young's continued growth, and Coker's late-season breakout pushed Legette to the side. He had only two fewer receptions (33) than Legette's 35 in 2025 and 31 more receiving yards (394) despite playing four fewer games due to injuries.
Morgan understands locking down the exclusive rights free agent is something he'll have to consider this offseason despite a limited amount of experience.
"I'm really proud of Jalen,'' Morgan said. "He put the work in. He reshaped his body and looks like a different player, and it shows on the field.''
That doesn't mean the Panthers won't consider adding another receiver in the draft or free agency. At the same time, Canales seems comfortable going into next season with McMillan and Coker as his top two wideouts while Legette finds himself.
"They produced for us in an incredible way, and the chemistry with Bryce has certainly grown, and they're going to have the first opportunity to be out there to start,'' Canales said. "You want those guys on the field.''
That leaves Legette in prove-it mode this offseason.
"Just keep grinding, keep working, connecting with Bryce, making sure that they're on the same page, making the plays when they come to him," Canales said. "It's that simple.''
Legette understands that he has to prove himself on the field.
"It ain't time for emotions right now,'' Legette said. "I'm still on the team, so I'm blessed to be in that position. ... I can only do as much as I can. When it comes to me, I've got to make the play.
"It's frustrating for sure, but it's bigger than me.''