WATCH: Panthers HC Dave Canales jokes with Xavier Legette about draft ‘promise’

The Carolina Panthers’ interest in Xavier Legette is definitely not a secret anymore.

To close out the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night, the Panthers jumped into the 32nd overall slot and selected University of South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette. The move may not have been a surprise to the Mullins, S.C. native, who previously told us that the team had assured him he’d be their pick if he was available.

“I’ve met with the Panthers about four or five times,” he said in our interview from analyst John Crumpler. “The relationship, it just keeps continuing to grow. They’re really hoping I can make it the second round. They keep on telling me if I’m sitting at 33, they’re gonna take me.”

Head coach Dave Canales was then asked about that “promise” on Wednesday.

“Yeah. Oh yeah,” he replied. “I mean, it was a great conversation. I definitely said that to him and about 50 other guys. It’s actually a lead-in question. ‘So when we draft you at 33, what happens now?’ And then there’s a bunch of questions that happen after that.”

Well, right after the pick was actually made, Canales joked with Legette about letting the cat out of the bag . . .

So whether or not the “promise” was actually a promise, everyone knows where the Panthers were looking now.

Story originally appeared on Panthers Wire