The South Carolina Gamecocks fell behind early to the Missouri Tigers in Week 8, trailing 24-3 at halftime. Before the break, star Gamecocks wide receiver Xavier Legette suffered an upper-body injury. We have the latest news on Legette here.
Latest Xavier Legette Injury News
A breakout senior for the Gamecocks, losing Legette for any time is a significant blow to the offense. After catching his first pass for 20 yards, Legette was assisted off the field for what’s being called an upper-body injury and will not return against the Tigers, per the radio broadcast (H/T to Jordan Kaye of The State).
We’ll continue to update this article as we learn more information.
Legette’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Height/weight/speed anomaly
- Outstanding catch radius
- Impressive start/stop as a route runner
- Good spring as a ball carrier
- Punishing against tacklers
- Physical run blocker (when he wants to be)
- Good pacing and strong releases allow him to stack DBs vertically
- Snappy reaction to finish catches thrown as he’s turning to the QB
- Cross-field weapon
- High-points well and shows sideline awareness
- Attacks blind spots well
- Return upside
Weaknesses
- One year of production
- Explosion on releases doesn’t carry over to screen game
- Although slow to take down, doesn’t break as many tackles as you’d like
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Legette has already seen a meteoric rise from his once-nonexistent draft stock through September. Yet, the hype around him is still relatively muted compared to the names that have been around for a while.
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The NFL has turned into a speed game. Route running is still as important as it ever was, but teams are finding ways to confuse modern coverages with deep crossing patterns, and that’s a role that Legette would excel in.
However, that doesn’t mean he struggles as a route runner, either. His start/stop ability and impressive understanding of how to attack blind spots and a defensive back’s leverage allow him to separate at a high level.
According to Reel Analytics, Legette hit 22.3 MPH against Mississippi State, which is the highest mark in college football through the first five weeks of play. His 29.4-yard kickoff return average in 2022 was a South Carolina record, and nobody in college football has more yards or is averaging more yards through four games.
There is a legitimate chance Legette goes from a complete unknown to a first-round pick, even with so many outstanding receivers in this class. Continuing to toy with SEC defenses is about the best way to secure legitimate draft stock.
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