Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes congratulated Texas WR Xavier Worthy after his record-setting 40-yard dash
The football world is still buzzing over the record 4.21-second finish in the 40-yard dash by Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. The impressive results, mixed with the possible interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, have made him a player to watch ahead of April’s NFL Draft.
Worthy confirmed that he received congratulatory texts from Ray Lewis, DeSean Jackson, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after his record-breaking performance. He opened up about the eye-raising communication with Mahomes during a recent interview.
“In a perfect world, I definitely would want to go to the Chiefs,” Worthy told USA TODAY’s Tyler Dragon. “Just the way Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs improvise and use you. They had Tyreek Hill. The way they used him, I feel like that would be a perfect fit for me.”
Worthy started 39 games in three seasons at Texas. He finished with 26 career touchdown receptions, third all-time in school history, and 2,755 receiving yards, fourth all-time in Texas history.
Mahomes has a history of influence ahead of the draft, as he did work with Rashee Rice before the 2023 NFL Draft. He is rumored to have pushed for the second-round selection to Chiefs management.
Texas WR’s Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy thrived in 2023 with the Longhorns. Tyler Forness breaks down their 2024 NFL Draft stock
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The two Longhorns wide receivers had a fantastic 2023 season where they made the College Football Playoff for the first time. Both bring dynamic skill sets with high-upside athletic profiles.
How did Mitchell thrive after transferring from Georgia?
Mitchell ran a 4.34 40-yard dash. Does that show up on film?
Was Worthy’s 4.21 40-yard dash a surprise?
Is there more to Worthy than just deep speed?
Join us throughout the offseason leading up to the NFL draft in April as we break down prospects with the smartest minds in the industry on the Vikings 1st & SKOL YouTube channel.
The Panthers were named as one of three ideal landing spots for the 40-yard dash king Xavier Worthy.
If the Carolina Panthers want to go fast in the 2024 NFL draft, then there’s literally none faster than wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
The University of Texas standout stood out in a sea of studs at this year’s edition of the underwear olympics. After posting a ridiculous initial 40-yard dash time of 4.25 seconds, Worthy hit his second run at a blazing 4.21 seconds—a new combine record.
Saturday’s speedy display confirmed Worthy’s trump card, but also gave him a bit of a bump in stock—particularly in the eyes of receiver-needy teams. And amongst those teams, according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine, are the Panthers—who he names as one of three ideal landing spots for Worthy.
Ballentine writes:
It would behoove Worthy to land in an offense where he can be used as a high-end No. 2 option with manufactured touches. Finding a home in Kansas City as Rashee Rice’s sidekick with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes at the controls would be ideal.
He could also be what the Cardinals were hoping to get when they drafted Rondale Moore or an integral part of the passing attack that the Panthers hope to build around 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Young probably wouldn’t mind that for his passing attack, one that ranked last in the NFL in yards per game (161.2). And as a whole, Carolina was also last in total yards yards (265.3) and points per contest (13.9).
You might miss Xavier Worthy running the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. The ex-Longhorn wideout posted a 4.25 40-time in his initial attempt and then jogged past previous record holder John Ross by running a 4.21. The old record had stood since 2017.
If you ever have the chance to break an all-time record in anything, ideally it should be while compared to the best talent and in front of every potential employer. It marks as the highlight of the 2024 NFL Combine.
Worthy went to high school in Fresno, California and originally committed to the University of Michigan before changing over to the University of Texas. He wasted no time in making his mark, posting school freshman records with 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. He went on to earn All-Big-12 honors in all three seasons, peaking with 75 catches for 1,014 yards as a junior. He announced that he would enter the NFL draft instead of playing out his senior season.
Worthy’s knock, same as virtually every other speedster is his size and more so his weight that was lower than expectations when he weighed 165 pounds at the combine. He had been listed officially as 172 pounds at Texas.
In the last five seasons, there were only two wide receivers with any fantasy value that were as light as Worthy. DeVonta Smith (6-0, 170) and Tank Dell (5-10, 165). Smith has always been an outlier for a thinly built receiver, even while he starred at Alabama. Dell is listed at the same weight and fell to the third round in the 2023 NFL draft. Also notable, Dell missed a game with a concussion and then later suffered a broken leg in Week 11 in his only NFL season.
Table: Player NCAA stats (2020-23)
Year
School
Games
Catch
Yards
Avg.
TD
Rush
Yards
TD
2021
Texas
12
62
981
15.8
12
1
7
0
2022
Texas
13
60
760
12.7
9
2
14
0
2023
Texas
14
75
1014
13.5
5
4
35
0
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Pros
Very, very fast
Very, very quick
Uses speed to his advantage with start-stop and explosive burst
Instant breakout as freshman and delivered every year
Not just a deep threat, runs routes at all three levels
Willing blocker despite size
Elite body control, balance and ball tracking
Scored twice during 40 punt returns in college
Highly competitive
Only 21 years old
Cons
Light frame works against him in contested catches
Prone to concentration drops
May struggle against NFL-level press coverage
Hand strength concerns on ball security and contact with ground
Weight-height ratio causes durability considerations
Fantasy outlook
Worthy led the Longhorns in receiving yards for all three seasons, though his teammate Adonai Mitchell (6-2, 205) also expected to be highly drafted and was slightly higher on many draft boards. Worthy’s triumphant 40-time is now expected to get him past Mitchell and may even sneak into the first round of this receiver-rich draft. Post-combine, Worthy is considered a Top-10 wideout and his draft slot depends on a team looking for a speedy receiver to fit their needs.
The only two comparable in size with Worthy are DeVonta Smith and Tank Dell. Smith is slightly larger and exceeded expectations as the No. 2 receiver in the Eagles’ passing scheme. Dell is a better parallel in that they are the same weight. He was an emerging star in Houston but was concussed and later broke his leg after only 47 catches.
It always relies on where a receiver lands and the quarterback that he will be paired with, along with the immediate receiving needs of his new team. Until that becomes clear, expect him to offer a field-stretching target as a rookie in likely a No. 3 role. The benefits of his speed compared against his potential size limitations suggest a great later pick in Best Ball formats where the occasional big game compensates for mostly low to moderate weekly output.
Worthy should offer fantasy value as a rookie, and while it is rare for someone as light as he is to become a weekly fantasy consideration, it is not without precedent. That makes him a target even in redraft leagues looking for position depth that may surprise. But that eye-popping 4.21 40-time can be overvalued. The other sub-4.3 wideouts were J.J. Nelson, Tyrone Calico, Marquise Goodwin, Jerome Mathis, and John Ross. Not exactly a Hall of Fame grouping.
The NFL Scouting Combine drew a very big audience, both on television and online,
It is a big draw to watch large men get evaluated as they run around and exercise on an indoor field. The NFL Scouting Combine drew a massive audience, both on television and online, according to a release by the league. The press release claims that the four live windows of the Scouting Combine combined to produce a “total unduplicated audience of over five million viewers” for the NFL Network.
NFL Network’s four live NFL Combine windows last week (Thursday through Sunday) saw an 11% jump.
That’s an 11% improvement over last year’s event, according to Sports Business Journal, which reports that “the four live windows averaged 244,000 viewers, up from 219,000 in 2023. In 2022 and 2021, there were ABC or ESPN windows included in the numbers.”
The best-performing window was the Saturday afternoon session because it had the QBs, WRs, and RBs (390,000). Because you know what they say: “Offense sells tickets.” The 390K is a decently sized surge over last year, which drew 329,000. However, that comes with a caveat, as the 2023 edition had TEs running drills in that session instead of RBs. Running backs are the second most high profile/glamor position, behind only the quarterback.
There are two ways to look at these Nielsen numbers. By NFL viewing standards, these are very meager and miniscule. Compared to other sports, these ratings are extremely impressive. There are very meaningful prime-time games in the NBA, NHL, and major conference college basketball that don’t draw audiences this big. Unless you actually work for a television network, news stories about ratings only interest you when A.) they break all-time records, B.) they are egregiously and laughably low, or C) unique oddities like this.
While it may seem odd to consider the Combine a spectator sport, these numbers show that for some people, watching young dudes do drills and exercises to chase their dreams is big-time entertainment.
It’s going to be difficult to see 4.21 speed in addition to impressive route running and pass on Worthy.
Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy is the fastest to run at the NFL combine. It’s going to be hard to ignore. One team in the first round might not be able to refrain from drafting him.
There’s a pattern of speedy players getting drafted early despite a pre-NFL combine consensus that there are better players available.
The Cincinnati Bengals once drafted 4.22 second 40-yard runner John Ross at the No. 9 pick. The now Las Vegas Raiders once drafted Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs over Dallas Cowboys standout CeeDee Lamb and Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson.
NFL franchises can look at those instances as ones that didn’t work out, but it’s human nature to see what Worthy did in Indianapolis and not be able to pass on the talented receiver.
For teams drafting in the late-first round, drafting the Longhorns receiver should be a no-brainer. You get a potential star in the back half of the first round. But even earlier drafting teams might have a discussion on their hands.
Worthy was a productive player on the gridiron despite being the focal point of game planning for opposing defenses in his senior season. His ability to get separation on routes in the red zone stood out early in his career. His toughness was evident in the way he battled through injury in his final season in Austin.
The Texas receiver is a good prospect, and he’s worthy of consideration late in the first round. But if past draft history is any indication, he could be drafted in the front half of the first round. All it takes for Worthy to get drafted early is one team willing to make the pick.
Outside consensus doesn’t matter. We’ll see which NFL team he lands with once the draft kicks off on April 25.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means for NFL teams and top draft prospects.
Once the scouting combine is over every year — and this year’s version concluded last week — NFL scouts, coaches and personnel executives are left with reams of new information to deal with, and to add to their previous evaluations.
So, what does that really mean? And what can a great combine performance really do for a draft prospect? For example, Texas receiver Xavier Worthy broke the combine record with a 4.1-second 40-yard dash. If he already plays extremely fast on the field, what does that add to his evaluation? Or if a player like Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu aces all his drills and crushes it in the meeting rooms with NFL teams, how does he really come out the other side in the minds of the people who are set to select him in the 2024 NFL draft?
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into what the scouting combine really means, their individual experiences at this year’s event, and how drill work really matches up to game tape and NFL transitions for multiple top prospects.
Once again, there are plenty of wideouts to go around in the latest mock draft projections for the Panthers.
Now that the 2024 edition of the underwear olympics is completed, are the experts forecasting anything different for the Carolina Panthers in the upcoming draft?
Here are the latest, post-combine projections for the team’s first pick of the spring:
