2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Xavier Worthy

Prospect Summary:

From his true freshman 2021 season, Worthy was a playmaking presence for Texas. He recorded 62 catches that season for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. While dealing injuries at the quarterback position as a sophomore, Worthy continued to play at a high-level, making 60 receptions for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. He also contributed some as a punt returner with 9.7 yards per return.

Worthy then recorded 75 receptions for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns as a junior in 2023. Thanks to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell joining the team and having a good receiving tight end, the Longhoens spread the ball around, but Worthy still played well. He suffered an ankle injury in the Big XII Championship Game, but still played against Washington in the college football playoff.

Given the passing-driven nature of the NFL, there is no doubt that a lot of teams will be interested in adding Worthy to their roster. He is an explosive receiver who has special speed and playmaking ability. Worthy’s ability to make game-changing plays makes him a fit for any pro offense.

As a receiver, Worthy is explosive off the line of scrimmage and shows twitchy moves out of his break to create separation from defensive backs. Worthy is a threat to beat coverage deep, using both his speed on verticals and his quickness out of the break as a dangerous route runner to get open. Worthy tracks the ball well and has impressive concentration to lock in receptions even when defenders are bearing down on him with the potential to deliver huge hits.

Worthy brings in the ball with his hands and is dangerous after the catch. Thanks to his explosive speed, Worthy looks to get vertical and can race away from the defense. As a punt returner, he showed more elusive moves and cutting ability, as he can rip off yards after contact and make some tacklers look bad when they grasp at air as Worthy has already darted past them. Even though Worthy is not a big receiver, he shows toughness to fight through tackles and is willing to dish out some violence to tacklers himself. He has the potential to be a good receiver after the catch in the NFL.

The largest negative about Worthy is the slim frame, which will inherently generate durability concerns with pro evaluators. It would help Worthy to add some weight to his frame, provided he is able to without sacrificing his speed. He could fit in the NFL as an outside or slot receiver.

A few NFL team sources said they believe Worthy will probably go in the back half of the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft and should not last long if he slips to Round 2.