Xavier Worthy, WR Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Worthy was a four-star recruit from Central East High School in Fresno, Ca. in the class of 2021

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy is one of the fastest wide receivers eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft. Some teams will question his size, but we’ve seen small or lean receivers have success in the pros in recent years. Worthy should at least be a second round selection.

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Xavier Worthy, WR Texas: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Fresno, Calif.

Background: Worthy was a four-star recruit from Central East High School in Fresno, Ca. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 62 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 67 for Rivals, and No. 56 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 62nd in the nation with an 86 grade out of 100. Worthy originally committed to Michigan before flipping to Texas. His high school senior season was canceled because of COVID-19. He made 55 receptions or 992 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior, helping Central East win its first CIF Division 1-AA State Championship with a 15-0 record. Worthy caught ten passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore when an injury shortened his season. He was selected for the 2021 All-American Bowl. Worthy competed in track and field and ran a 10.55 100-meter dash as a sophomore.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed a significant chunk of his sophomore high school season, played through a broken hand in 2022

Awards: 2021 First Team All-Big 12, 2021 Freshman All-American, 2021 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, 2021 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (Associated Press), 2022 Second Team All-Big 12

Pros: Age, special teams experience returning punts and kicks, experience playing out wide and in the slot, fluid lower body, explosive off the line, sharp cuts off quick footwork in release, uses his speed to duck punches in press, perfect fit for “cheat motion” plays, stretches defenses vertically, challenges bracket coverage vertically, speed to overtake defenders in off-man, sinks hips at top of the stem, nice whip route, executes sharp cuts on posts and in and out-breaking routes, bounces across the cornerback’s face mid-route, twitchy breaks and cuts create separation, runs away and naturally separates against man on crossers, flashes of great downfield ball tracking, makes some spectacular downfield catches, speed to generate YAC, viable passer on trick plays, worth scheming touches, instances of battling for blocks

Cons: Small and lean frame, concerns about durability at that size, lacks a large catch radius, not a contested catch receiver, doesn’t attack the ball over defenders at the catch point, needs to use hands more in release package, route gets stunted and shut down by early contact, would like to see him gear down and snap back to the QB quicker on comebacks, must develop a better feel for zone coverage, history of concentration drops, miscommunications with Quinn Ewers in 2022, doesn’t break many tackles, lacks strength to maintain blocks

Overview: Worthy is a young wide receiver prospect with special teams experience returning punts and kicks. He plays out wide and in the slot for Texas. Worthy is a loose athlete with a fluid lower body. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage and works sharp cuts into his release thanks to quick footwork. He uses his speed to duck punches in press and get off the line cleanly. Worthy is the perfect type of player to put in motion before the play using “cheat motion” to build momentum and speed going into his release. He threatens to take the top off defenses and challenges bracket coverage vertically. Worthy has the speed to overtake defenders in off-man coverage. He sinks his hips at the top of his stem and shows the agility to run routes like a whip route well. The junior generates separation on sharp cuts on posts and in and out-breaking routes. He’s quick enough to bounce across the cornerback’s face mid-route, and he creates separation with twitchy breaks and cuts. Worthy runs away and naturally separates against man coverage on crossing routes. He shows flashes of great downfield ball tracking but suffers from concentration drops. Worthy also wasn’t on the same page as Quinn Ewers on many downfield passes in 2022. The speedy receiver generates yards after the catch with his athleticism but doesn’t have the play strength to break many tackles. He is worth scheming touches to and can be used as a passer on trick plays. Worthy battles to maintain blocks, but his small and lean frame significantly limits his play strength. There are concerns about his durability considering his size. He lacks a large catch radius and struggles in contested catch situations. Worthy needs to use his hands more in his release package. His routes get stunted and shut down by early contact, meaning press coverage could threaten his productivity more than the average receiver. He should gear down and snap back to the quarterback quicker on comeback routes. Worthy must develop a better feel for finding holes in zone coverage.

Overall, Worthy is an excellent vertical threat with elite speed and some special teams upside, but his physical limitations could prevent him from earning a feature role in the NFL. The league is more willing than ever to bet on small but productive college players. Even in a loaded wide receiver class, Worthy shouldn’t slip past the second round.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot or Z receiver in an offense with lots of pre-snap motion

Round Projection: Second Round

Size: 6'1", 172 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-03-23