A former Kansas City Chiefs receiver signed with the Cleveland Browns, but the Chiefs are still at the top of the power rankings. One reason for that ranking is wideout Xavier Worthy, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave an honest assessment of the rookie’s speed.
Mahomes said the dude can run, according his comments on The Drive on Audacy’s 96.5 The Fan, via bleacherreport.com.
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“It’s like when he wants to go, he can go,” Mahomes said. “It’s a speed that he does a good job using to his advantage. Obviously, you can be fast and just run fast the whole time, but it seems like he kinda waits until the right moment to use that speed and you just try to get the football in his hands. Let him make plays. I thought he did a great job.”
Among the weapons at Mahomes’ disposal is Worthy, who came to Chiefs via the 2024 NFL Draft as the No. 28 overall pick in the first round.
The Chiefs seemed enamored with Worthy’s speed as he ran an NFL-record 4.21 in the 40-yard yard dash at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine.
In Thursday’s season opener, Worthy caught three passes for 47 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 win over the Ravens. He also took an end-around handoff for a 21-yard touchdown in the contest. It turned out to be quite a debut for the rookie flash.
Mahomes knew what the Chiefs could get in Worthy, based on the eye test. Mahomes told ESPN’s Adam Teicher about watching Worthy on tape.
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“”Just route running (and) a guy that played physical, too,” Mahomes said. “For him to not weigh a ton, he plays hard, he plays through stuff. He goes out there and competes, and then the speed. Obviously it opens up the field, but he’s not just a fast receiver. He plays hard, plays fast and you want those types of guys on your football team.”
Four receivers got picked ahead of Worthy in the draft, and none had the immediate impact. No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr. turned in a big dud in his debut while Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and Brian Thomas didn’t shock the world, either. However, Thomas did get into the end zone.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the Ravens respected Worthy’s ability.
“They honored his speed for sure with how they played when he was in,” Reid said. “The impact, other than the plays he made, I thought he did a nice job there. He showed that he can not only go down the field when needed, I know it was a busted coverage, he can do that. He does have that speed and versatility going across the middle, he had a nice grab across the middle. Obviously, the teams we play will see that, they didn’t know it before, they know it now.”