Chiefs 2024 NFL Draft prospect per day: Texas WR Xavier Worthy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs could use more wide receivers that could come from the 2024 NFL Draft.
As part of FOX4’s 2024 NFL Draft prospect per day project, we take a look at Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy and how he can fit in KC if the Chiefs select him.
Info
- Hometown: Fresno, California
- Track sprinter who ran the 100-meter dash in high school
- 2021 First-team All-Big 12 Conference/Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year/Freshman All-American/Finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award: Led team with 62 receptions, 981 receiving yards (15.8 per). Tied for eighth in the FBS with 12 receiving TDs
- 2022 Second-team All-Big 12 Conference: Led the team with 60 receptions, 760 receiving yards (12.7 per), nine receiving TDs.
- 2023 Third-team All-American All-Purpose/First-team All-Big 12 Conference WR and return specialist: Led the team with 75 receptions, 1,014 receiving yards (13.5 per), five receiving TDs, ranked second in the FBS with 16.9 yards per punt return (22-371, TD)
- Participated at NFL Combine, broke record for fastest 40-yard dash
Measurements
- Height: 5'11
- Weight: 165
- Arm length: 31 1/8 inches
- Hand: 8 3/4 inches
- 4.21 40-yard dash, 1.49 10-yard split, 41″ vertical jump, 10’11″ broad jump
Fit with Chiefs
Worthy is a top-tier athlete who would please any team as an offensive weapon.
He has elite body control and explosion that allows him to quickly get in and out of breaks smoothly. Worthy's stop-and-start quickness is likely the best in his class while he also has good ball-tracking skills in the air.
After the catch, Worthy is hard to corral as a slippery runner which is why he was also a return specialist for the Longhorns. He has lined up on the outside and in the slot benefitting from teams not pressing him at the line of scrimmage since they are worried about his speed.
But like any prospect, Worthy has some concerns that teams will pause at. His height is fine but his weight leaves him vulnerable to injury especially if he routinely runs routes across the middle of the field. He also is more of a body catcher but shows flashes of using his arms to pluck the ball out of the air.
Worthy has drawn many comparisons to Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell because of the similarities in size and athleticism. Dell is coming off of a dynamic rookie season with the Texans as well.
His arm length, hand size and hand strength make it difficult for him to be a jump ball winner even though he has the hops to do it. Contested catches often give him trouble and he has occasional concentration drops as well. Worthy also doesn't often work back to balls in stops and curl routes, something that can be remedied.
Worthy's elite traits would make him a perfect fit for the Chiefs' system. Andy Reid would find many creative ways to get him the ball, instantly making the Chiefs one of the fastest offenses in the league with Worthy, Hollywood Brown and Kadarius Toney.
Coaching and offensive fit will heavily influence Worthy's career but he has the traits to be one of the most dynamic playmakers to hit the NFL.
Worthy has been seen as an early first-round pick throughout the draft process but could slide down to the second round.