Tag: xavier worthy 40-yard dash

2024 NFL Draft: Texas WR Xavier Worthy scouting report

Texas receiver Xavier Worthy’s record-breaking speed shows up on the field, but his limitations could impede his NFL journey.

Speed kills, and absolute speed kills absolutely. Texas receiver Xavier Worthy has absolute speed.

It was easy enough to diagnose that from watching his game tape, but when Worthy went to the 2024 scouting combine and set the record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, that was the clincher. And it was the only instance in which Worthy put up preposterous numbers.

Now, the height/weight profile could be a problem. There are other smaller speed receivers who have succeeded in the NFL, but the guys who have done it in the modern era generally check in a bit heavier — more on the 180-pound scale.

So, will Worthy’s NFL team stick with his weight as is, or try to beef him up a bit without losing any of that explosive potential? We can but wait and see.

PLUSES

— Record-breaking speed shows up on the field; Worthy can house a handoff or a quick screen, and he’s very adept at gaining separation in a straight line downfield.

— Has a nice sense of foot feints to get off press at the line of scrimmage and will then head into Acceleration Mode.

— Turns into his routes with little need to slow down and re-accelerate.

— Wins with late hands to the ball as it’s coming in.

— His ability to get open and up to top speed out of motion could make him a terrifying target in the right NFL offense.

— Not just a go/post/seam guy, Worthy will stick his foot in the ground to re-direct, and he’s got a pretty diverse route profile.

MINUSES

— For all his explosive potential, Worthy had just six catches of 20 or more air yards last season on 23 targets for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

— Focus drops are a legitimate issue; Worthy doesn’t have much of a catch radius, and he isn’t excited about heading into traffic.

— Blocking is more performative than effective.

— Creates YAC with speed as opposed to any sort of physicality; he’s not a contested catch player in the traditional sense, and his after-contact potential is iffy.

Worthy is more of a nuanced receiver than the speed numbers would have you believe. On the other hand, he isn’t as explosively effective as you’d like for a guy with his rare traits. A lot of that can be worked through with NFL coaching, but 5′ 11¼” and 165 pounds is what it is. Worthy’s NFL team had best have a clear plan for his schematic success.

Xavier Worthy isn’t just track-fast… he’s ridiculously fast on the field

Xavier Worthy’s record-breaking speed didn’t just happen at the scouting combine — it also shows up on the field.

INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy blazed his name all over the field at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2024 scouting combine, when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, setting the all-time record. Of course, when the excitement of that wears off, everybody will ask the same question: Does that kind of speed actually show up on the field?

In Worthy’s case, the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Though he caught just six passes of 20 or more air yards last season on 23 targets, he also had a lot of drops on those deep passes, which he tried to explain this week at the podium.

“I feel like I had really good hands,” he said. “I feel like it’s just kind of focus drops for me. It’s not a technique thing or a hands thing. I feel like it’s focus.”

If he can get his focus together, Worthy might be just about unstoppable at the NFL level. because that speed does indeed show up on the field, in multiple ways.

We could start with this 45-yard banger against TCU, in which Worthy gave his defender a nasty foot fake before going off to the races and winding up with a two-yard cushion against press coverage…

…or this 44-yarder against Alabama, where the deep safety had no shot in Cover-3.

How about this 54-yard catch against Oklahoma State that was 53 yards after the catch, and Worthy just caterwauling his way through the entire defense?

So yes, Worthy’s speed does show up on the field, and if he wasn’t a first-round pick before, he probably is now.

Twitter reacts to Xavier Worthy breaking the scouting combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash

The reactions to Xavier Worthy breaking the scouting combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash came thick and fast.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy was fast on the field for the Longhorns, and he was even faster on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium at the scouting combine. Worthy ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash on his first try, and then, on his second rep, Worthy put up an unofficial 4.22-second 40 — which was then bumped up to a 4.21… and that is the all-time combine record, breaking the 4.22 mark set by Washington receiver John Ross in 2017.

As you would expect, there were all kinds of reactions to this.

Texas WR Xavier Worthy sets scouting combine record with 4.21-second 40-yard dash

Texas receiver Xavier Worthy set the all-time scouting combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.

INDIANAPOLIS — Texas receiver Xavier Worthy was fast on the field for the Longhorns, and he was even faster on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium at the scouting combine. Worthy ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash on his first try, and then, on his second rep, Worthy put up an unofficial 4.22-second 40 — which was then bumped up to a 4.21… and that is the all-time combine record, breaking the 4.22 mark set by Washington receiver John Ross in 2017.