2024 Rookie Profile: Xavier Worthy – Wide Receiver

Profile Overview

• College: Texas
• Height: 5’11″
• Weight: 165 lbs
• Arm: 31 1/8
• Hands: 8 3/4
• 40 Time: 4.21
• 10 Yard Split: 1.49
• Vertical Jump: 41.00″
• Age: 21
• Year: Junior
• Draft Projection: 1st/2nd

College Career

Xavier Worthy played his high school ball at Central East High School in Fresno, CA. He wasn’t overly elite in high school but put up solid numbers. He also ran track as well. Worthy would almost end up signing with Michigan but would later change his mind and commit to Texas.

Worthy would come out of the gates in college and play very well as a freshman. He would lead the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He would contribute to 46% of the team’s receiving yards from their starting quarterback, Casey Thompson. Worthy would regress from a 15.8 YPC to 12.7 YPC in his sophomore season with receptions similar to those of his rookie season. The reason behind his fall is defenses focused on double-covering him. We saw that as a freshman, no one could stop Worthy on the field. The defense was using double coverage on him, which allowed for more open plays for other players on the team. Despite a down season, he still leads the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. We saw players like Jordan Whittington and Ja’Tavion Sanders step up with 50-plus receptions. In 2021, Worthy was the only pass catcher who had over 30 receptions. 

Going into Worthy’s final season, he improved his receptions and yards, showing off career highs. Unfortunately, his touchdowns dropped over each season. Worthy would continue to lead the team, but only in receptions and yardage. Transfer Adonai Mitchell would join the team and be Texas’ significant red zone threat. Worthy would be honored with many achievements during his college years. 

• First-Team All-Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year
• Second Team All-Big12 Conference
• Third-Team Associated Press ALl-American All-Propose
• First-Team All-Big12 Conference WR & RS
• Averaged 14.1 Punt Return Yards Over Three Years.

Strengths

Xavier Worthy is a fun player to watch on film. He dominated at the NFL combine, setting the record for the 40 time. He also showed that he can be used as a return specialist, and he did very well in college. His ability to separate himself in a short area is fun to watch. Worthy is a very good route runner as well. He can easily pick up yards after the catch on plays that give him space. He wasn’t used often, but he could easily be used as a runner for an NFL team. Worthy has three elite traits that make him a top-tier prospect in this 2024 class. 

Elite Speed

When you think of Worthy, you think of the player who just broke the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.21, which is the best of all time. Worthy’s speed makes him dangerous on the field. A team could easily draw up a play, allowing their quarterback to throw a bomb deep and watch Worthy take it to the house. Worthy must get put with a quarterback who has the arm strength to do things like that. He is so fast that deep balls look underthrown since he can blow past them. That’s not his whole game with deep speed. If you can get Worthy in open space, he won’t be caught that easily. A team could use him on screens, and he would easily scoop up 10 to 15 yards on any play. 

Ball Tracking

Another great trait of Worthy’s is his ability to track the ball. Worthy on film shows being able to track balls over his shoulder. While tracking, he can maintain speed and continue through the play. While strength isn’t Worthy’s game, he has shown the ability to continue to track the ball well, even with defensive backs crowding the deep area of the field. He has excellent body control and can adjust towards the ball’s landing spot. It’s a trait that will work well for him as a downfield threat. 

Short-Area Explosiveness

Worthy’s final elite trait is his short-area explosiveness. If you look at the video above, you will see how explosive Worthy can be in the short area. If he can fool a defender to go one way, he can quickly gain five yards of separation to get wide open on plays. This will be handy on plays in the red zone or getting a quick first down. Worthy can also create an opening once the ball is in his hands. On film, there are plays where Worthy will catch the ball with the defender nearby, but he explodes upfield, leaving the defender in the dust. He is going to keep teams alive on drives with his ability. 

Weaknesses

While Worthy is electric on the field, I have concerns about his game that must be highlighted. The obvious one must be his skinny frame. He weighed in at the NFL Combine at 165 lbs., which is light despite his position. He should hope to bulk up a bit to be more physical at the NFL level.

Physical contact is going to be an issue in certain situations. Worthy didn’t get at the contested catch situations often but lost them to bigger defensive backs. On film, he could be pushed around a bit and thrown off his routes. A defender must catch him first, but when they do, he is not the same receiver. 

This one isn’t major, but his effort on plays is questionable. He doesn’t seem to put in much effort when there are run plays or potential plays that are schemed not to go to him. Worthy isn’t going to be a consistent, reliable blocker, either. I have questions about whether he can ever be a true WR1 for a team. We’ve seen speedy receivers be that for teams, but I’m not sure he’ll be one. 

Dynasty Value/Draft Stock/Prediction

Based on how great this receiver class is and the need for elite talent, Worthy will end up as a first-round pick in drafts. Worthy is projected as a late first-round pick, but his value could go as high as the early teens or dip into early day two.

He had top 30 visits with the Bears, Cardinals, Colts, Ravens and Panthers. He met with numerous teams at the Combine and his Pro Day. All those teams would be interesting for Worthy to go to. He would immediately have a chance to be the WR1 with the Ravens, Cardinals, and Panthers. That would give him more potential to make some noise in his rookie season. The Bears would be a nice play to grow and learn for a year with guys like DJ Moore and Keenan Allen already there. The Colts would be interesting with Anthony Richardson’s cannon of an arm and Worthy speed. 

I think the Ravens would likely be a situation for Worthy to end his NFL career. He will be valuable to a dynasty team if he holds round one capital. He would be in the conversation in rookie drafts as a late first-round pick. If he falls to day two, that would hurt his value slightly since the draft is projected to have six to seven receivers in round one.

Worthy will be fun to watch at the NFL level, and he should immediately make some noise. It may not be consistent early on, but I’d expect folks to freak out on his speed at some point in 2024. 

Get ready for your rookie draft with the DynastyGM!! Rankings, trade calculator, league analyzer, and much more. Just $4.99/month, or better yet, bundle with the Nerd Herd for just $6.99/month and get extra podcasts, the Dynasty Prospect Film Room, and more.