KC Chiefs 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Texas WR Xavier Worthy
The 2024 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the Kansas City Chiefs are seeking yet another quality haul from general manager Brett Veach.
In recent seasons, Veach and his staff have used the draft to bring in cost-controlled young talents to insulate a championship roster. The results speak for themselves, although windows can close quickly. Kansas City hopes that a good 2024 rookie class joining one of football's younger teams can keep the franchise in top competitive form.
With the draft on the horizon, Arrowhead Report is taking a look at prospects who could hear their names called in late April. Up next is Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
Background
- Height: 5112
- Weight: 165
- Age: 20
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.37
- 2023: 75 receptions, 1,014 yards and 5 touchdowns
- Played all collegiate seasons at Texas
Where Worthy creates advantages
Speed is the name of worthy's game, plain and simple. It's backed up by his play on the field, as well as the 40-yard dash record he recently set at the NFL Combine. Worthy is quite literally one of the fastest players in this year's class — regardless of position — and is a big play waiting to happen. The speed and stop-start ability make for a lethal duo of traits.
One of the biggest pluses of Worthy's profile as a receiver is he tracks the football well and maintains speed when doing so. That, combined with his acceleration for yards after the catch, is dangerous. Worthy uses spacing well and creates some of it due to his natural quickness and consistency in stacking the opposing defensive back. His twitchiness and hip fluidity are evident in his route-running process. Worthy has underrated contact balance and body control for someone his size.
Where Worthy could be at a disadvantage
A downside with Worthy is obviously his frame. He weighed just 165 pounds at the Combine (allegedly what he played at for the Longhorns in college), which is a red flag. That light build raises very serious questions about Worthy's ability to win on the outside against press coverage or physical defensive backs who aren't intimidated by his speed. While his height isn't concerning, the overall package also makes it much more challenging for him to win at the catch point or win battles for positioning. That shows up in the blocking game, too.
Worthy, much like his teammate Adonai Mitchell, occasionally appears to lack effort on plays that don't directly involve him as the primary read. His hands are also a question mark, as he struggled with concentration drops at college and isn't the most reliable hands catcher. Albeit still good, Worthy has some room to grow as a developed route runner and will learn to not base everything on creating an edge with his burst.
The verdict
Stop me if you've heard this before, but the 2024 NFL Draft's wide receiver class is absolutely stacked. Boasting slot options, explosive "Z" receivers and traditional "X" prototypes alike, teams will have their pick of the litter early and often. It's a good year to need a wideout.
Worthy's amazing performance at the Combine boosted his draft stock, and he was already viewed by many as a first-round pick. He's still very young, has a true trump card and his freshman breakout needs to be taken into account as well. He has all the makings of the next game-breaking receiver type that the NFL has increasingly leaned into in recent years.
For the Chiefs, Worthy is an intriguing fit in Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's offense. They don't have anything in the receiver room right now that matches Worthy's ability to stretch the field vertically and strike fear into defenses. His "perfect world" scenario involves going to the Chiefs, so the interest is there on his end. Should Worthy last to the pick No. 32 range on night one of the draft, don't be surprised to see and hear plenty of Kansas City buzz in a hurry.
