Dallas City News

We continue our 2024 NFL Draft review of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at wide receiver Xavier Worthy from Texas.

Xavier Worthy
WR
Texas Longhorns
Junior
4-star recruit
5’11”
165 lbs
Hands- 8 3/4” (9%)
Arm Length- 31 1/8” (27%)
Wingspan- 74 1/4” (26%)

History:
Xavier Worthy ran track and played football in high school and was tabbed as a four-star recruit by 247 Sports. He opted to enroll at Texas and joined the team in 2021.

In his freshman year, Worthy started in all 12 games. He played 704 total snaps and was targeted 103 times. He had 62 receptions for 981 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. When targeted he had a passer rating of 106.5.

In his sophomore year, Worthy again played in all 13 games for Texas. He had 60 receptions for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. He did, however, have a career high of seven drops. He also began returning punts with 15 returns for 146 yards.

In 2023, Worthy played in all 14 games which included a playoff appearance. He did sustain an ankle injury in the season which hindered his production but he never missed any time. He had career highs with 75 catches and 1,014 receiving yards. He also scored five receiving touchdowns and one touchdown off a punt return. His passer rating when targeted finished on 93.6 for the year.

2023 Statistics:
833 Total snaps
119 Targets
75 Receptions
1,014 Receiving Yards
5 TD
13.5 Avg
571 YAC
5 Drops
93.6 Passer Rating

NFL Combine/Pro Day:
10-Yard Split- 1.49s (93%)
40-Yard Time- 4.21s (100%)
Vert- 41” (95%)
Broad- 131”(92%)

Awards:
First-team All-Big 12 (2023)
Second-team All-Big 12 (2022)

Scorecard:
Overall- 88.1
Catching- 80
Route Running- 79
Deep Threat- 90
YAC Skills- 89
Blocking- 63
Speed- 99
Strength- 68
Acceleration- 92
Agility- 93

THE GOOD:

• Elite speed to say the least. Not just fast, he’s fast-fast
• A fantastic playmaker with the ball in his hands
• Smooth runner and accelerator
• Very impressive acceleration and gets up to top speed quickly
• Has more than just deep routes in his repertoire. Shows he can run sharp dig and out routes effectively
• Very quick feet to get into breaks
• Willing to make the catches across the middle and surrender his body
• Catching skills aren’t perfect but are adequately reliable
• Good ball tracking
• Has very good skills to play on special teams as a returner

THE BAD:

• Slender frame and build holds him back against press and struggles to beat physical corners consistently
• Not a physically strong player
• Easily knocked away on jump balls
• Easily pushed off routes
• Won’t win many contested catches
• Has some simple drops on tape with very little defensive pressure around him
• Will expose the play-call by going low-effort when the play is away from him
• Frame and playstyle create injury concerns

THE FIT:
Xavier Worthy made a huge splash during the combine. His record setting 40-time launched him into the spotlight and has many NFL coaches asking more questions about him and the way he can transform their offense. His speed and explosiveness is extremely enticing along with his deep threat and middle field production. Most people will say he’s nothing more than a fast runner and will compare him to John Ross. But Worthy is much more than that. He has some extra nuance to his route tree and a lot more instincts for the position.

Needless to say, Worthy does need to need work on his drops. Some of the drops were confusing when he makes the tough deep catches, then drops a simple on the outside when he’s wide open. The other issue is his size. Based on the fact he’s an extremely fast twitch player with insane straight-line speed and has a very minor frame, the impact that will have on his body when taking big hits leaves coaches to be concerned about injuries.

Based on his his combine, Worthy will be seen as a fringe first-round talent. The tape however will tell you he’s more a mid to late second-round talent.

COMPARISON:-
Corey Coleman, Cleveland Browns

GRADE:
Mid second-round grade

CONSENSUS RANKING:
33rd
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)