CHARLOTTE, N. C. — Carolina Panthers huge receiver Xavier Legette laughed when his first information convention of offseason exercises started with a query concerning the distinction between a thoroughbred and standardbred horse.
Legette, who has a ardour for horses, understood it as an try to see if he’s near having a horse able to compete within the Kentucky Derby, which he attended earlier this month.
The easy reply was no. Standardbreds, like Legette owns, are finest fitted to harness racing, nothing just like the modern, highly effective thoroughbreds who compete to win the Derby.
“I’ve received to get some bloodline from among the horses that already competed within the Derby if I need to do this,” Legette mentioned of his long-term purpose of competing within the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Realizing that including extra expertise improves your possibilities of successful, Legette can admire why quarterback Bryce Younger mentioned it was “music to my ears” when Carolina used the No. 8 decide of the 2025 NFL draft so as to add Arizona huge receiver Tetairoa McMillan a yr after buying and selling into the primary spherical to pick Legette at No. 32.
“We’re attempting to win video games,” Legette mentioned. “Anytime you add a masterpiece like that to what we’re attempting to construct, that is nice.”
Panthers huge receiver Xavier Legette says the workforce’s determination to draft WR Tetairoa McMillan No. 8 after taking him within the first around the yr earlier than was ”an excellent decide.” Says they’re all smiles. pic.twitter.com/IDLSQIAPeG
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) Might 27, 2025
As a substitute of being threatened or wanting on the collection of McMillan as a knock on him after a tough rookie season, Legette checked out it with the identical enthusiasm as Younger, who known as TMac “an excellent decide.”
“I really feel like it may be an issue both means,” Legette mentioned of whether or not he or McMillan will change into the No. 1 receiver. “I would not essentially say it is a one or two. I really feel prefer it’s both aspect they have a look at, they are going to must take care of each side.”
Younger agreed. As a substitute of specializing in what McMillan brings to the offense that Legette does not, he talked about how the whole offense will profit from having each gamers.
“Inside the system there are such a lot of wrinkles and so many little issues that we will construct off one another,” he mentioned.
Legette’s rookie season ended with quite a bit questions, very similar to Younger did after his rookie run as the highest decide of the 2023 draft.
The questions for Younger persevered in 2024 after he was benched following an 0-2 begin with traditionally unhealthy statistics. They quieted when he turned issues round because the starter throughout the second half of the season.
Younger enters his third marketing campaign with a renewed confidence in himself and from the group.
Having McMillan paired with Legette is a part of the explanation why coach Dave Canales believes Younger will take his sport to the following stage in 2025. There have been indicators of that Tuesday when Carolina went via 11-on-11 drills for the primary time in OTAs.
“There have been some nice performs on the market, some nice timing on the throws, but in addition simply the extent of consolation we talked about with the offense, realizing the phrases, making the tweaks and being part of that course of,” Canales mentioned. “We would like it to change into the Bryce Younger offense, change into this collective factor and get the chemistry going.”
Panthers QB Bryce Younger on what it was like lobbying for the workforce to draft WR Tetairoa McMillan within the first spherical . pic.twitter.com/EYajbuvClV
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) Might 27, 2025
Younger already sees extra confidence from Legette, who is concentrated on making catches together with his fingers greater than his physique, one thing McMillan excels at. Legette completed final season with seven drops, tied for thirteenth most within the NFL. His catch proportion of 58.3 was twenty second lowest.
“Me getting open, that wasn’t an issue,” Legette mentioned. “It was simply actually honing in to actually catching the ball on the dropped passes.”
Canales can already “really feel the enjoyment” coming from Legette and sees the added bounce within the receiver’s step after offseason foot surgical procedure.
“What I see is a yr into the system, simply the velocity that he is enjoying with now, the extent of consolation he has with what we’re doing,” Canales mentioned. “After I see him smiling, I do know he is in a superb house.”
Canales could not say sufficient about the way in which Legette and McMillan have meshed.
“It is an excellent match,” Canales mentioned. “Even routes on air. They will catch a ball, put it away, burst after which they’re on the lookout for the opposite one and throwing it throughout the sector and enjoying catch.”
The most important benefactor is Younger, who now has two massive huge receivers — Legette is 6-foot-3 and 227 kilos, whereas McMillan is 6-5 and 212 kilos — to go along with the velocity of sixth-round decide Jimmy Horn Jr. and the veteran management of Adam Thielen.
“It is a actually dynamic group,” Younger mentioned.
Essentially the most dynamic is McMillan, who Younger mentioned has a catch radius that “undoubtedly has jumped out on movie.”
“He is tremendous clean, has supernatural fingers, nice catch radius,” Younger mentioned. “It is tremendous pleasant to the quarterback, which is at all times good.”
That was the purpose when Carolina chosen McMillan over a defensive participant to handle the league’s worst unit in 2024. And it wasn’t a knock on Legette. The truth is, the employees talked to him about the opportunity of drafting one other receiver earlier than the draft.
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero already can see the advantages of the decide.
“I do know that is going to definitely put loads of stress on opponents, and that is going to make us higher [as a defense] as we work via the offseason working towards them,” he mentioned.
All of it performs into Canales wanting this to change into Younger’s offense, as he enters his second yr within the system. Younger mentioned that is allowed him to “concentrate on development reasonably than studying.”
Canales additionally desires a tradition of gamers who do not feel threatened by competitors at their place. That is why Legette’s acceptance of the McMillan decide was vital.
“All of us have that very same purpose,” Younger mentioned. “We simply need to win offensively, we need to rating and, as a workforce, do no matter it takes to win.”
