Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy officially broke the NFL combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash.
Xavier Worthy just narrowly beat out the previous 40-yard dash record of 4.22 seconds, held by early first-round Cincinnati Bengals draft pick John Ross. Worthy was initially clocked in at 4.22 unofficially, but the official time saw Worthy break the record.
Xavier Worthy and his fellow Texas Longhorns teammate, Adonai Mitchell, were in the top three fastest receivers at this year’s NFL combine. Mitchell ran a 4.34-second 40-yard dash, officially.
Xavier Worthy was a weapon for the Texas Longhorns
Max Olson of The Athletic detailed a story that exemplifies the hard work of Xavier Worthy. The same type of hard work that was required for him to break an NFL combine record.
In fifth grade, Worthy tried cross country. Growing up in Fresno, Calif., he played all the other sports, too. When he signed up for this one, he didn’t realize how much running was required. At the district championship meet, he finished second.
“He came home with his little medal,” Jones said, “and he was pissed off.”
Worthy vowed that he’d win next time. He kept running. Mom got him better shoes. One year later, the sixth-grader brought home a first-place medal. His mother still treasures a photo of him proudly holding it up.
“That’s Xavier,” she said. “His expectations for himself are so high. He’s extremely confident and he works hard to get it. He had to come in first because he put his mind to it.
“And once he did that? Yeah, no more cross country.”
That hard work allowed him to excel as a wide receiver for the Texas Longhorns. Worthy eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in 2023, but he came very close in his freshman year when he posted 981 yards receiving.
He had 26 total receiving touchdowns during his time with the Longhorns on top of being a threat as a punt returner. Worthy’s breakaway speed showed on the field. There were several instances in which Worthy caught a pass at, or near the line of scrimmage and took it the distance.
CFB community knows that Xavier Worthy also PLAYS FOOTBALL in the 4.2s
pic.twitter.com/BgEQjdnev1— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) March 2, 2024
Yes, the speed translates.
What a weapon Xavier Worthy will be on Sundays. pic.twitter.com/d05QopeNff
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 2, 2024
The former 40-yard dash record holder turned out to be a massive bust
The previous 40-yard dash record holder, John Ross, turned out to be one of the more notable busts in NFL history. The Cincinnati Bengals took Ross at the No. 9 spot in the 2017 NFL Draft. This was one spot ahead of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who now has three Super Bowls.
Other notable players that Ross was picked ahead of include:
- Marshon Lattimore
- Deshaun Watson
- Haason Reddick
- Marlon Humphrey
- Jonathan Allen
- Jabrill Peppers
- Tre’Davious White
- T.J. Watt
- Budda Baker
- Dalvin Cook
- Alvin Kamara
- Cooper Kupp
- George Kittle
- Aaron Jones
Ross saw the field in spurts from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he managed to rack up 957 yards receiving on 62 receptions and 11 touchdowns. His best season was in 2019 when he had 506 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Other than that, he never had more than 224 yards receiving in a season.
Ross’s lack of development had a lot of factors involved, but the fact that Xavier Worthy broke his record will mean that Worthy will always be compared to him.
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