Getty Former Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
The Kansas City Chiefs like wide receiver Xavier Worthy so much that they moved up four spots in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft to draft him.
It turns out that, had the opportunity been available, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions would have traded up even higher in the first round to select Worthy.
“With Worthy, we were just waiting for him. We tried to trade up earlier for him in the 20s and ended up getting him a little bit later,” Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi said after Round 3 of the Draft.
Though it would be nice to know how much higher Kansas City was willing to trade up to acquire Worthy, the desire to trade up even more than they already did shows how much the Chiefs brass likes Worthy.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s tough. He’s not just a vertical guy. He can run the route tree. The intermediate routes, he can get in and out of his breaks,” Borgonzi said of Worthy on April 26. “He’s not a one-trick pony deep threat. We feel like he can line up in a lot of different positions for us. He’s a smart kid, and then he has return value, punt return value, which is going to be big for us.”
Xavier Worthy Ready to Prove Himself as Undersized Playmaker
Speaking to the media after the first round of the NFL Draft, Worthy says he’s out to prove to everybody that he’s more than just speed.
“I’m coming with the mentality to work hard and earn my spot in the locker room,” Worthy said during his press conference on April 25. “I feel like I’m a complete receiver. I can run the whole route tree, disciplined, smart, and know the game really well, so I feel like I bring a complete receiver to Kansas City.”
Worthy, who broke the NFL Scouting Combine record by running a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, embraces the fact that he’s an undersized playmaker who can be effective on offense and special teams.
“I’m a small player, so I pride myself on being a difference maker and somebody who’s going to make a play,” Worthy said. “Whether that’s being tough, making a big play blocking or receiving the ball or special teams, anything. So, I just pride myself on heart, and I feel like that’s what motivates me and makes me different.”
Worthy joins a receiver room in Kansas City that consists of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Rashee Rice, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Montrell Washington, Cornell Powell, Justyn Ross, Shi Smith, Anthony Miller, and Jacob Copeland.
Andy Reid Describes Development Plan for Xavier Worthy
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared his thoughts on Worthy and how he anticipates the rookie will be deployed in Kansas City.
“We’re glad to add him on board,” Reid said during his press conference after day one of the Draft. “We think he’s a heck of a football player, number one. He does a few different things. He’s a good wide receiver and also a good special teams returner, and he’ll end up doing both to start things off with.
“He’ll just work into that rotation when we get him, the wide receiver rotation, with Hollywood (Brown) and Rashee (Rice) and (Travis) Kelce and the other fellas. It should give Pat another weapon there in which to use.”