Morning After: Legette, Trade

[Fletch59]

 Carolina's terms on the trade were 33 and 141, for 32 and 200.  Was late and didn't feel like throwing that out there.  But that was the cost.  Carolina had 141 and 142, and burned one.  Carolina definitely lost value to Buffalo. As you very often do, trading up. 
For the one spot, they gave (140) 36 points, and got (200) 12.4, losing 24 to get those 10.   It's a 14 point deficit, and I can let that go.  But they were eager to get up. One spot. For those of you that like symmetry, Carolina got up into 1, and down into 7, so they have a pick in every round.   If you like that.   I hoped to keep 141, 142 and get two guys there instead.  And be done for the draft before 200, a little selfishly. So - who is Xavier Legette?  High character local kid, if you care about the local bit; lost both his parents between 2015 and 2019.  Works hard, profile says "became their best practice player". HS WR and S who moved to QB due to need but still played both ways, also lettered in baseball, basketball. 6'1.0*, 221, ran a 4.39 40 and he was in the 91st percentile with a 40" vertical.  He did not do the shuttle or 3-cone, unfortunately.  He had a 9.9 RAS Score but didn't run everything so it's a fairly incomplete value. So let's start there. His routes are pretty variable, he's good at the stem from deep (sell the 9, take the 7 or 8, or the back shoulder and that type of thing).   He's not necessarily to where he's been able to separate in the way Diontae Johnson does, the craftiness, but they're obviously at different parts of their careers, and different receivers.   Legette can be crafted open with scheme, he can win on release and do good things on short routes, but he's either a guy who gets off the press or doesn't, he's good at contested catches but not fully consistent (they're really 50/50 balls), and so in the shorter term he's a guy you work into good situations instead of having him go win it a lot. He does have a good nose for the deep ball, he has sure hands, so when he's got a shot at the ball, he'll give it hell.   He's definitely in the vein of the DK Metcalf, Mike Evans, maybe less precise than Alshon Jeffery; he's not just a Kelvin Benjamin of course (and comparison is the thief of joy of course, but it's also an awfully lazy way to evaluate).  He's a guy who, as he becomes more consistent, would be your X.  But, he's got 25% of his time in the slot last year, he can do that, so if you Michael Thomas him, he can do that.  Again, with more consistency.  I think, beat press more without getting too handsy and improve the footwork - pretty typical for high-cut receivers - and things get a lot more repeatable.   His hands are pretty great, and he has value after the catch.   Took his first four years to make much out of him and they went through QB, HC, OC issues.  He came alive with Dowell Loggains and Spencer Rattler, but didn't earlier in the Shane Beamer process (Marcus Satterfield's first year, three different QB starters, but Rattler/Satterfield in 2022 didn't see Legette be more than pedestrian).   Five years in college is old for a WR.  So while he has grown significantly in how he can discuss roles and offenses, there's a chance that he'll start off slowly. 
He's tough - he lifts, he had 24 x225 on the bench where I feel like most WR would've stopped short of that.    He stayed a gunner at USC despite breaking out.  He likes to block.  So if you like the Brennan Marion adage of "you show your love for your teammates by how you play without the ball in your hands", you'll like him.  I get how a staff bordering on toxic positivity and hustle loves him.  I think anyone can take that and do good things with it. 
*I've heard him quoted as high as 6'3, and no)
All that said, with all of the connections to the similarly loc'd up Metcalf, who was rolled in the draft process for being big and fast but having a shit 3-cone, is that Metcalf (who was a more typical 3 year guy) only played two years, had a career 67 receptions, was a bigger risk.   And Canales and company found ways to make that work.  Metcalf has - in five years, with different QBs, different OCs, never had less than 58 rec or 900 yards, or less than 6 scores.  So, we should be so lucky, I suppose. 



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