Xavier Worthy 40 time: Why Chiefs rookie WR is earning Tyreek Hill comparisons

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Xavier Worthy
(Getty Images)

It's hard to go back-to-back in the NFL, and it's even harder to repeat. One reason the Chiefs are Super Bowl favorites again is the possibility they solved one of their most glaring weaknesses from 2023.

The wide receiver problem suddenly isn't as much of a problem after some offseason additions, namely Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Xavier Worthy. Kansas City also recently added JuJu Smith-Schuster and now might not see Rashee Rice suspended this season despite a tumultuous offseason.

The Chiefs likely know what they're getting from Brown, but Worthy is the wild card. An exceptionally productive receiver during his time at Texas, the rookie's blazing speed has sparked some Tyreek Hill comparisons. 

Here's a look back at when Worthy made history in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

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Xavier Worthy 40 time

Worthy set an NFL Combine record by running a 4.21 40-yard dash in March. The record was previously held by 2017 first-round WR John Ross.

Worthy was expected to be one of the fastest players at the NFL Combine, but his run in Indianapolis was one for the history books. Whether it heavily actually impacted his draft stock is debatable, though. Worthy was already considered a fringe first-round prospect, and he ended up being taken No. 28 overall by the Chiefs after a trade with the Bills.

The fit made Kansas City an obvious potential landing spot for Worthy ahead of the draft. Tyreek Hill used his speed to emerge as a key receiver for the Chiefs after starting his career as a returner, and he morphed into a bona fide star at the position.

Worthy won't be expected to put up Hill's production, but the Chiefs' offense looked like it was missing a burner like that even as Kansas City rumbled to a championship last season. 

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Xavier Worthy college stats

Season School Games Rec. Yards TD Yds/Rec
2021 Texas 12 62 981 12 15.8
2022 Texas 13 60 760 9 12.7
2023 Texas 14 75 1,014 5 13.5
Career   39 197 2,755 26 14.0

Worthy finished his career fourth in Texas history with 2,755 receiving yards and third in program history with 26 touchdown receptions.

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Chiefs WR depth chart

WR Player
1 Rashee Rice
2 Marquise Brown
3 Xavier Worthy
4 JuJu Smith-Schuster
5 Justin Watson
6 Mecole Hardman
7 Skyy Moore

Rashee Rice became Mahomes' most trusted and perhaps his only trusted receiver by the time the playoffs arrived last season, but Chiefs GM Brett Veach wasn't content to just run it back with the same shaky group of pass-catchers in 2024.

Kansas City signed Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in free agency and added another major target in Worthy the following month. The recent addition of Smith-Schuster, who struggled with the Patriots last season but was a key piece of the Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning team in 2022, gives Mahomes one more option he already trusts.

Watson, Hardman, and Moore all have multiple years of experience in the Chiefs' offense. Moore is coming off a rough second season in the NFL but earned a roster spot in training camp, while Hardman returned to Kansas City in a midseason trade last year and had a limited role until he caught the championship-winning touchdown in Super Bowl 58. 

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Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News.
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