NFL Draft | Panthers slip into 1st round, take WR Legette; Patriots select UNC's Maye No. 3

DETROIT (WTVD) -- The Carolina Panthers selected wide receiver Xavier Legette from South Carolina after trading up one spot in the NFL draft to get into the bottom of the first round, giving quarterback Bryce Young another weapon in the passing game.

The 6-foot-3, 227-pound Legette had 71 catches for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Gamecocks. He had no more than 18 receptions in a season in his first four years at South Carolina before emerging in 2023.

Legette gives the Panthers another option to go along with Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and last year's second-round pick, Jonathan Mingo.

Legette was the seventh wide receiver taken in the first round.

The Panthers didn't have a first-round pick entering the night. The team traded that pick - which turned out to to be the No. 1 overall pick - to the Chicago Bears last year to move up to get Young.

The Bears used that pick on quarterback Caleb Williams.

The Panthers traded the 33rd overall pick and one of their fifth-round picks to the Buffalo Bills for the 32nd pick and the Bills' sixth-round selection.

As expected, the Chicago Bears took Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick.

Watch every pick of the first round on ABC11.

After LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was taken No. 2 by Washington, UNC quarterback Drake Maye heard his name called shortly after.

The New England Patriots chose Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in Thursday's NFL draft.

Maye becomes the second quarterback taken in the first round by New England since 2021 and will be its latest attempt to find a franchise quarterback following the departure of Tom Brady after the 2019 season. New England traded 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones to Jacksonville earlier this offseason.

At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Maye checks many of the boxes the Patriots were looking for, with ideal arm strength and athleticism. He also will be coming into a situation in which the entire offense will be learning a fresh system under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

The Patriots finished 4-13 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years last season, leading team owner Robert Kraft deciding to part ways with longtime coach Bill Belichick and hire his former assistant Jerod Mayo.

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Williams, a star at USC, was cool and calm in the days leading up to the draft, perhaps because he was one of the only prospects who knew where he would be playing later this year.

The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner is the first of many quarterbacks who will be selected. In fact, six were taken in the first 12 picks.

First-round NFL draft order

1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina): Caleb Williams, QB, USC

2. Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

3. New England Patriots: Drake Maye, QB, UNC

4. Arizona Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

5. Los Angeles Chargers: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame

6. New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

7. Tennessee Titans: JC Latham, OT, Alabama

8. Atlanta Falcons: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

9. Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington

10. Minnesota Vikings (trade with Jets): J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

11. New York Jets (trade with Vikings): Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State

12. Denver Broncos: Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

13. Las Vegas Raiders: Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

14. New Orleans Saints: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

15. Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA

16. Seattle Seahawks: Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas

17. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland through Houston via Jacksonville): Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama

18. Cincinnati Bengals: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia

19. Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Troy Fautanu, G, Washington

21. Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State

22. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (via trade with Minnesota): Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU

24. Detroit Lions (via trade with Dallas): Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

25. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Graham Barton, C, Duke

27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): Darius Robinson, Edge, Missouri

28. Kansas City Chiefs (via trade with Buffalo): Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas

29. Dallas Cowboys (via trade with Detroit): Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

30. Baltimore Ravens: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

31. San Francisco 49ers: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

32. Carolina Panthers (via trade with Buffalo from Kansas City): Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina

HERE FOR IT

There's no place Drake Maye would rather be.

When the NFL invited the former North Carolina quarterback to attend the draft in Detroit, he had a quick answer.

Yes.

"I think you always dream about coming here and coming to walk across the stage and be with the commissioner," Maye said. "It's something I couldn't turn down. It was a no-brainer for me."

Not everyone feels the same way.

Only 13 players chose to celebrate their big night in the Motor City, representing a decline in NFL draft attendees for the third straight year.

Former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy was among the first-round prospects who chose to stay away Thursday night.

When the draft was in Kansas City last year, 17 players were there. Two years ago in Las Vegas, there were 22 prospects present to hear their name called.

With COVID-19 protocols in place three years ago in Cleveland, 12 college stars attended the draft during the pandemic.

The league offers each invited player two first-class and eight coach airline tickets along with transportation to and from a hotel, where five rooms are provided. Players are not given an appearance fee by the league.

In the green room, which is behind the stage in Detroit, players can be joined by up to nine guests on white leather chairs and couches while additional tickets in the theater are also available upon request.

McCarthy simply wanted to celebrate with even more people.

He planned to be surrounded by 100 people - including family members, friends from Illinois, teammates and staffers from the football program - near the airport, which is about halfway between Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the site of the draft.

"I didn't want to go to Detroit because I know it took a village to get me here, and I want to celebrate with them," McCarthy told WXYZ-TV.

Even though McCarthy wasn't going to walk the red carpet, he planned to wear a custom, charcoal gray Alo Yoga suit.

"I don't like being the center of attention," he said, "but, for one night, I'll do it."

The Associated Press contributed.