A former SEC star is on the “hot seat” entering the 2026 NFL season thanks to former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Chris Brazzell.

Brazzell, who spent two seasons at Tennessee after starting his career at Tulane, was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The former Vol could be a replacement for another SEC wide receiver that was selected by the Panthers in the first round just two years ago.

ESPN says Carolina WR Xavier Legette is on the hot seat after the Panthers drafted Chris Brazzell

ESPN believes the Panthers’ addition of Brazzell signals that former South Carolina standout Xavier Legette is on the “hot seat” in Charlotte.

Legette was a first round pick by the Panthers in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations during his first two seasons in the NFL, catching just 84 passes for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. Not bad, but not what you expect from a first round pick, either.

“Legette’s inability to consistently catch the ball, especially up against the sideline, has frustrated Panthers fans over his first two years in the league,” wrote ESPN’s Ben Solak.

“The emergence of undrafted free agent Jalen Coker and subsequent drafting of 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan pushed Legette down to No. 3 on the depth chart,” continued Solak. “And now Chris Brazzell II has entered the building. The Panthers made the Tennessee wideout the 83rd pick last month in large part because of his own size/speed profile.

“Brazzell is 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, and he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He is a raw route runner from a system that translates poorly to the NFL, so it’s unlikely he immediately excels at the next level. That gives Legette time to entrench himself as a more reliable option. But if he continues to lose targets, the Panthers will consider promoting Brazzell to that rarely targeted field-stretching role.”

The Athletic’s Joseph Person currently has Brazzell projected as a starter, alongside McMillan and Coker.

Legette could soon be looking for a new home if Brazzell is as advertised in Carolina.