Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy (WR) – Texas / Junior

5’11-1/4″, 165 Lbs. (Combine)

2023 Stats: 14 games, 75 receptions, 1014 Yards, 13.5 Avg, 5 TDs

{Reference: https://texassports.com/sports/football/roster/xavier-worthy/12556}

Awards/Leader: 2x 1st Team All-Big 12, 2021 Freshman All-American

Measurables (Combine):

RAS: 9.37

Games Watched: Alabama (2023), Wyoming (2023), Kansas St. (2023), Oklahoma (2023), TCU (2023)

PRO’S 

The first trait that jumps out when watching Xavier Worthy is his deep speed. He’s a fluid athlete with long strides who can close down cushion and accelerate past most defensive backs. He has the ability to change direction at very high speeds without making a true cut. His package of releases at the line of scrimmage is solid, and he can pair different techniques together when the situation calls for it. His shoulder dip is fairly effective at keeping a defender from getting hands on his chest. Worthy also runs deep and intermediate routes with sophistication and nuance. He’s excellent at making different routes look exactly the same until the very end. He achieves this with pace variation, stem manipulation, and great timing. He uses all of these skills to be effective on comebacks and curls, where he usually breaks back to the QB with force and attacks the football early. He also has a variety of different footwork techniques he can use to break off his routes, with his speed breaks being particularly efficient. Possibly the strongest part of his game is how he tracks the football. He’s able to track balls thrown directly over his head, and he can catch these targets away from his body with late hands.  He also rarely leaves his feet unnecessarily. After the catch, Worthy shows good vision and has a surprising amount of contact balance. You won’t catch him running over bigger defenders, but he’s fearless and can bounce off hits from defensive backs to pick up extra yards.

CON’S

No surprise here, but Worthy’s biggest problem at the next level will be his play strength. He’s feisty and avoids contact where he can, but bigger and more savvy defenders are going to give him serious problems at the line of scrimmage. His size also hinders his ability to separate from tight coverage at the top of routes. His hands have definitely improved from the beginning of his career, but making catches through contact is still a struggle. This could prevent him from being heavily used over the middle in tight spaces. There are also still a few inconsistencies with his route running. He tends to lunge forward when trying to drop his weight on certain breaks, and defenders are sometimes able to run him out of bounds when he takes outside releases. Worthy will likely always be a liability as a blocker as well. He usually gives good effort in the run game but just doesn’t have the size to hold up.

OVERALL 

Xavier Worthy had one of the best true-freshman seasons we’ve seen in college football. His production has mostly plateaued since then, but his overall game has improved. I do have concerns about his role in an NFL offense being fairly limited, but the NFL is changing to benefit players like Worthy. He could end up being a Rashid Shaheed type of weapon. Someone who stretches the field and provides splash plays, but receives minimal volume. However, I believe he can develop into a consistent all-around threat if he continues to refine his route running and receiving skills. Depending on his landing spot, he could end up as an inefficient but explosive primary receiver similar to Hollywood Brown, or a nice secondary option like we’ve seen from Jordan Addison in Minnesota. To me, Worthy is deserving of a round 2 selection, even in this loaded receiver class.

Completed by: AJ Cola @AJ_T2T, 2/20/2024

Reviewed & edited: J. Clark, 02/21/24

Updated: 03/02/24