Longhorns WR Duo Crushes Combine, Bolster First-Round Draft Buzz
Welcome to every first-round mock draft from here on out, Adonai Mitchell.
Oh, and welcome to the NFL Combine history books, Xavier Worthy.
It's hard to imagine either of the Texas Longhorns receivers taking a step back following Saturday's showcase in Indianapolis.
A day after winning over media members with his beaming personality and charismatic demeanor, the junior receiver won over scouts during drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Mitchell posted 4.34 40-time, the second-fastest among all receiver prospects during Saturday's drills and the fifth-fastest time of the event. The 6-2, 196-pound No. 2 target also posted an 11'4" broad jump and a 39.5-inch vertical, both ranking top-five among receiver targets.
Mitchell, who joined the Longhorns after helping Georgia win back-to-back national titles, now enters Day 1 conversations alongside prospects like Oregon's Troy Franklin, Florida State's Keon Coleman and former teammate Ladd McConkey. Each player offers a different tool when it comes to speed.
Coleman, who ran the slowest 40-time among receivers at 4.61, hit play speeds of nearly 21 miles per hour during the gauntlet drills. Franklin, who posted a 4.41 40 time, averaged speeds around 16.9 MPH in the open field.
Mitchell crushed both categories, only bolstering his stock even more. During gauntlet drills, NFL Next Gen Stats clocked him in as high as 20.4 MPH. In translation: Mitchell can run fast regardless of the situation.
© Trevor Ruszkowski, USA TODAY
"I never run routes full speed," said Mitchell during Friday's press conference. "That's just a part of my game that allows me to run routes for the whole drive and mostly just feel like I'm in control.
Now, which team runs to the podium to select him? Mitchell said he had formal meetings with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens, among others. After his combine performance, teams like Jacksonville and Indianapolis, both potentially losing pass-catchers to free agency, could be in the market somewhere in the top 20.
Mitchell finished his lone season on the Acres with 55 catches for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Worthy worked out in the second group headed into Saturday evening. He must have gotten the memo that Mitchell came out swinging early to raise the competition since he wasn't going to let his teammate show him up.
After running a 4.25 on his first event with a 1.49 10-yard split, Worthy wanted John Ross' 4.22 record. At first, the numbers flashed 4.22, placing Worthy atop the record books in a tie, but after further review, another number flashed.
A 4.21 came calling back to Worthy.
"I'm tired," an exacerbated Worthy said following his run on the broadcast.
"I watched the combine my whole life as a kid. I saw John Ross run that. I never thought I'd be able to be on this stage and do it."
Worthy, who led the Longhorns in receiving yards all three seasons, said he believes he has what it takes to be a consistent leading receiver in the pros. Despite weighing in at 165 pounds, the 5-11 target said that's been his playing weight for the past two years via X.
One team interested is the Carolina Panthers, who last season traded up to No. 1 to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
Carolina, who formally met with Worhty this week, does not have a first-round pick this year. It might work out since Worthy is a fringe Day 1 option and might be at the top of the radar for the Panthers on Day 2 when on the clock Friday evening in Detriot.
Worthy already has a relationship with Young during workout sessions in high school while growing up in California. The speedster said he believes Young got a "bad rep" this season and knows that the future is bright.
Perhaps as his teammate in Charlotte.
"[I'd love to] be that receiver for him like Jaemson Williams was in college for him," said Worthy Friday. "I feel like I could be that from him."
Should Worthy of Mitchell be selected in the first round, they'd be the first Longhorns receiver drafted on Day 1 since Roy Williams was selected No. 7 overall in 2004.
