South Carolina Football: Xavier Legette mocked in 1st round of NFL Draft

South Carolina football fans are going to miss Xavier Legette.

#17 is everything right with college football. A South Carolina native, Legette stayed home to play for his home-state program despite a late surge in his recruitment. After struggling early in his career with injuries and consistency, he stuck it out and worked harder than ever to improve his game.

Thanks to the “Covid redshirt” that allowed players an extra year of eligibility, XL returned to Columbia for his redshirt senior season, and no player in all of college football took better advantage of that extra year than Legette.

A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist nomination and 1255 receiving yards later (2nd-best in South Carolina football history), and Legette moved from a late-round/undrafted free agent NFL Draft grade to being expected as a top-3 round pick.

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus released a mock draft with the South Carolina football star going in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

In the mock draft, PFF has Legette being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 25th pick. The Chiefs have been the league’s top team over the last half-decade (KC has hosted the last five AFC Championship Games, won two Super Bowls, and played in a third.

Playing with the Chiefs would be a best-case scenario for Legette. Patrick Mahomes is almost identical in style to Legette’s college quarterback Spencer Rattler (just better) and excels at crossing patterns and taking deep shots, the two best parts of Legette’s game.

Head coach Andy Reid is also one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history, and the Chiefs have a huge need at wide receiver after losing several playmakers at the position over the past several seasons.

One of the fastest players in the 2024 NFL Draft, Legette will be a weapon for whichever team selects him next April.