Chiefs: Speedster WR worthy of early draft pick
Xavier Worthy might not win a weigh-in, but the first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs was highly rated by the front office because of his playmaking skills, speed and production at Texas.
A wide receiver with the Longhorns, Worthy reeled in 26 receiving touchdowns in three seasons before blazing a 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
At 165 pounds, Worthy’s weight isn’t a worry to the Chiefs because of the toughness he showed on the field at Texas.
“You’re asking the wrong guy about weight,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of the 28th overall pick in the draft. “I think he’s fine where he’s at. I don’t think that’s a problem. He’s playing at a high level, and he’s been doing this since he was a freshman. I’m not too worried about the weight.”
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Worthy, 20, still is growing and plans to connect with the team nutritionist to be in full alignment with Kansas City’s plan to bulk him up, if only slightly.
“We’ll have him with our dietitian and our weight staff. We’re not going to make him 200 pounds,” Veach joked, “but also keep him at the 175-180 mark I think will be a healthy weight for him. It will all make sense … all these (draft picks) are going to have to get bigger and stronger just from the marathon of the season, just to survive more games.”
Reid said Worthy would be used as a receiver and returner as a rookie. He’ll join a WR corps that added Hollywood Brown and expects to have Rashee Rice back for a second season after he led the team in receptions as a rookie.
Brown and Worthy bring a skill the Chiefs didn’t feature last season — the pure speed to blow the top off of a zone defense. Reid said he saw glimpses of another relatively light but blazing fast — and tough — receiver he drafted with the Eagles, DeSean Jackson.
“The speed is real and will make a big-time difference in the NFL. And the thing about Xavier is he ran that time, but that’s the way he practices every single day. Every rep is full speed,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Worthy on Thursday. “He has the ability to take the top off the defense, but he’s much more than that. He has tremendous route running ability and is a tireless worker at that. He has a very high football IQ and is extremely competitive.”
Worthy was on Reid’s radar before he lit up the turf at the Scouting Combine.
“Sarkisian and I are close. He kept talking about how smart he was, he’s got great football instincts, and he’s a tremendous worker,” Reid said. “In this offense, you’ve got to be able to do that and have those characteristics.”
–Field Level Media
