Getty 49ers potential draftee Xavier Worthy
When you’re picking No. 31 in the NFL draft, you have to be open to all possibilities. Sure, it is likely that the 49ers will simply take advantage of the wealth of offensive linemen in this draft and pluck a prospect at an area of need with their pick, but it is also entirely possible that the 49ers play the value game—rather than drafting for need, picking the player who slips through the cracks and is the best available at their spot. One such player could well be the fastest wide receiver in the history of the draft Combine, Texas’s Xavier Worthy.
That’s the possibility put forth by ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller on the 49ers Web Zone podcast, “No Huddle.”
To be sure, Miller lays out a number of choices the 49ers could have if they determine that wide receiver is where the value can be had in this draft. They could look for more rough-and-tumble receivers in the mold of Deebo Samuel, whose physical style does lead to injuries. But adding Worthy’s speed will be most tempting, Miller said.
Xavier Worthy Has ‘Record-Setting Speed’
Asked about wide receivers and the 49ers, Worthy was the first potential draftee to come up. He shot up NFL draft boards when he ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash in February.
Miller said, “Looking at wide receiver, it’s like, ‘OK, what is the player type they’re looking for? Because we can “Because we can look at guys like Xavier Worthy as that stretch-the-field, record-setting speed—that could play here. (South Carolina WR) Xavier Legette is your Deebo Samuel. You know, 6-1, 220, 4.3-speed. He’s a bully. Same with [Western Kentucky WR] Malachi Corley. They fit that mold really, really well.
“But if it’s, if you’re trying to replace Aiyuk, I am going to lean more toward a Xavier Worthy. Or Ricky Pearsall or Troy Franklin.”
That is the big overall issue remaining for the 49ers as they round out their offseason, an issue that will linger past the draft, assuming the team does not pull a surprise and trade Aiyuk for picks.
But even if nothing happens on Aiyuk before the draft, the question of whether he will get paid and stay in San Francisco long-term will be a pertinent one.
49ers, Brandon Aiyuk Still at a Contract Standoff
As it stands, there has not been much news on Aiyuk other than reports from last week that the sides are far apart on a deal. That is not a huge problem, because the team can wait to see how the draft plays out and what trade opportunities might be available in the coming weeks.
Aiyuk has made himself one of the best handful of receivers in the game, and wants to be paid like it. He is under contract for his fifth-year option next season, at $14.1 million and if no new deal is reached, he’d have to play under that contract—unless he holds out.
If the 49ers and Aiyuk get to a holdout situation, the team will be forced to either trade him, pay him or let him sit out. But that won’t be relevant until the middle of the summer, when training camp ramps up.
In other words, there is plenty of time. Drafting a receiver now, though, would give the 49ers a bit more leverage and also protect them should Aiyuk hold out or be traded.
“It’s a stacked receiver class. I think we could see 16 go in the Top 2 rounds, which is insane,” Miller said.
“A receiver at 31, I would not completely turn my nose at that. Because we don’t know. We don’t know with Aiyuk. It’s such a similar playbook as to what Deebo did, and Deebo got paid. But if the value is there at 31, you have to go with the receiver.”