Chargers have met with South Carolina WR Xavier Legette

The Chargers will need to come away with a receiver early on in this year’s draft and Xavier Legette could be that guy for Jim Harbaugh and Co.

Heading into opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chargers seem to be on the fence about nabbing one of the class’ top wideouts or selecting the year’s top offensive tackle. Whichever direction they choose to go in on Thursday will then obviously affect where they go from there.

If the Chargers take Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers, they could end up sticking with Trey Pipkins at right tackle or finding a developmental piece on day three. If they pull the trigger on Joe Alt at No. 5, they could immediately grab a very good receiver prospect at the top of the second round.

Should that second scenario take place, a name to keep an eye on for a wideout on day two is South Carolina’s Xavier Legette who spent time with the Chargers on one of his 13 in-person visits prior to the draft, per The Draft Network’s Justin Melo.

Legette, not unlike fellow former Gamecock Deebo Samuel, is a stocky pass-catcher at 6’1 and 221 pounds. He’s got tremendous speed for his size with a 4.39 40-yard dash he posted at the NFL Combine to go with a 40-inch vertical and a 10’6 broad jump.

The biggest potential red flag with Legette entering the NFL is that he’s fairly green compared to most receivers expected to go early in this year’s draft. Until the 2023 season, he had never received more than 30 targets in any given season and had never eclipsed 200 yards receiving. However, he more than broke out this past year with 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns on 71 receptions. That also earned him Second-Team All-SEC honors.

Legette will certainly be one of the more “moldable” prospects at his position but it’s easy to see why teams would be willing to bet on his traits. With size and speed, Legette also excels with his physicality as a willing run blocker (Greg Roman has entered the chat) and a confident jump-ball catcher. Add in that he has experience returning kickoffs with a career average over 28.0 yards and you’ve got plenty to work with.