FanNation Mock Draft: Finding the Chiefs' Answer at WR Without Trading Up
The Chiefs were able to land an explosive playmaker at wide receiver at the end of the first round in FanNation's 2024 NFL mock draft.
The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is less than a week away, and the FanNation crew joined forces to go team-by-team to get the best feel for what each organization could do on April 25. This mock was executed by many of the publishers in the FanNation network on SI.com, letting the people who cover the teams make the selections. The results were interesting, and I'm pleased with how the Kansas City Chiefs fared with my pick at No. 32.
The FanNation crew wasn't allowed to trade up or down in this mock, but I wasn't looking to make the jump up either way. Even at the end of a first round that ended up being receiver-heavy, I wanted to see who the Chiefs would have as the remaining options if they stayed at 32.
When I was finally on the clock at No. 32, six wide receivers had already been drafted, including Adonai Mitchell at No. 28, Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 30 and Ladd McConkey at No. 31. (I'm sure the Chiefs would have made a few phone calls to ask about trading up ahead of the Buffalo Bills in a real-life version of this draft, which would have allowed them to have their pick of any of the non-big-three WRs in the class.) Still, with the embarrassment of riches at wide receiver, I selected a player who feels like a nearly perfect fit in the Chiefs' offense.
32. Kansas City Chiefs | Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
The Chiefs find themselves smitten with an undersized speedster who could bring a familiar explosiveness to their offense. Andy Reid can find ways to maximize Worthy’s ceiling while keeping him clean at the pro level. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes would add the best deep-ball receiver he’s had since Tyreek Hill. —Joshua Brisco, Arrowhead Report
If we're nitpicking, I'd note that my original phrasing was that Worthy would be the best deep-ball tracker Mahomes has had since Hill, but he'd likely be the best deep-ball receiver altogether as well. (Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valdes-Scantling both had arguments for their skills as downfield pass-catchers, but Valdes-Scantling had trouble staying on the same page as Mahomes in 2023 and Hardman struggled to track the football down the field throughout much of his Chiefs career.)
Even by selecting the seventh wide receiver off the board, the Chiefs bolster their pass-catching group in a major way, giving Mahomes a long-term building block who could contribute in 2024 with a chance to evolve into one of the NFL's scariest weapons as he develops in Kansas City's offense.
