Chiefs: Worthy is Worthy of a First Round Pick

Laddie Morse

Sometimes we get things twisted… like… that Patrick Mahomes isn’t as great as we think he is. Bah! Humbug! After all, GM Brett Veach, HC Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes (especially Mahomes) have led the team to three Super Bowl victories over the last five seasons. So, when I say Worthy is worthy of a first round pick, it may take some belief in Brett Veach and his decision makers, but is there any reason we should not believe? I don’t think so either.

Deal Alert • Deal Alert • Deal Alert

Kick Returner

Xavier Worthy was also an excellent Kick Returner in college. He may start the season as a Kick Returner for Dave Toub, the Chiefs Special Team’s coach. Here’s a rating and ranking by ProFootball Focus (PFF):

Below is a Worthy Punt Return for a TD (1:00). BTW, this comes off a Ryan Rehkow punt. Rehkow is vying to be the Chiefs Punter this year.

Brett Veach

Here’s Brett Veach talking about adding Xavier Worthy in the first round:

Here’s an audio file of Veach talking about Worthy (1:53):

One of the things Veach mentions is Worthy’s high IQ. With Andy Reid’s offensive playbook being thick and most players needing time to adjust, being an intelligent person is a must. If Worthy hopes to contribute to the offense in year one, he’ll need to assimilate the playbook quickly and since he has a high IQ, it looks like this is one of the best reasons to draft him early.

Speed

Xavier Worthy was known for his historically best 40 speed at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.21 40 yard dash… and kept right on going (0:10).

Not to be pigeon-holed as just a fast guy, Worthy says he’s a good route runner too.

Negatives

Size

Some feel his size is too small to be a good fit in the NFL. Worthy stands 5-foot-11, and weighs in at 165 lbs.. While that is admittedly smallish, while he was at Texas, that didn’t seem to hurt his play.

Drops

While drops — or, too many drops — have been an issue in the past, the real question is: can Xavier Worthy track the football? There are several plusses by being drafted to the Chiefs. 1) Worthy will be catching the ball from Patrick Mahomes who has a reliable ball to track. Meaning, the ball will be where it should be on plays which don’t require PM breaking contain. 2) Many may be comparing Worthy to Marquez Valdes-Scantling (MVS) who was very bad at tracking the ball. 3) Identifying a spiral or a wobbly pass can help you track a football. Worthy has the skills to see a ball coming in long before it gets there and can adjust to the ball. A skill that MVS lacked. 4) Xavier Worthy fought through a hand injury so his tracking skills may have been hurt in the process, from an analytics standpoint.

Draft Day

There are those who may still think that Xavier Worthy was not deserving to be a first round pick, just like RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs were in need of a speedy WR and a very good Left Tackle prior to the draft so drafting Worthy was thought by some to be a needs pick and not a valid “best player available” choice as a result (3:25).

The fact that the Chiefs traded up from pick #32 to pick #28 to draft Worthy may speak to the idea that Worthy was the right choice.

Work Habits

Xavier Worthy is more than just a guy. He works hard to get and maintain the level of performance he has arisen too. Here’s Xavier Worthy working with his team mates at Texas right after the draft (Worthy is first up):

The end of that video says it right: “YOUR CEILING IS NOW YOUR FLOOR.”

Comparisons

When Xavier Worthy was first drafted to the Chiefs, many said he was the next Tyreek Hill. Then, Andy Reid said Worthy reminds him moe of DeSean Jackson as he should. Jackson is 5-foot-10 and weighs in at 175 lbs.. That’s not too far off from Worthy’s size. The Bleacher Report says the best Comp for Xavier Worthy is Jameson Williams who is 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 181 and perhaps more importantly he runs the 40 in 4.4 seconds.

PFF – ProFootball Focus, says that Xavier Worthy reminds them of Jordan Addison. Addison is 5-foot-11 and weighs in at 175 lbs.. As a reminder, Addison ran the 40 yard dash at 4.49 seconds so it’s hard for me to see the Comp there. To each his own. Addison was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, just last year. BTW, Addison gained 911 yards receiving in 2023. I’d be happy with that this year.

Routes

Xavier Worthy is good at all three levels. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Worthy is only a speed guy. Yes, Andy Reid will use him for that, but he’ll also use Hollywood Brown that way too. As well as others (2:11).

The author makes a great point here that because defenders will have to respect Worthy’s long speed, he can break off his routes and catch a lot of underneath balls. Plus, he mentions that Xavier is a good YAC (Yards After Catch) man. All plusses, all day.

Worthy Highlights

After watching Worthy’s highlights… I must say, it’s easy to see why it’s hard to get hurt when they rarely lay a hand on you. Yes, he has that much speed. The biggest problem the Chiefs face this season won’t have anything to do with WR Xavier Worthy. It will likely be their consistency.

Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

LadnerMorse