There are plenty of big wide receiver prospects in this NFL Draft Class that can completely change an offense. There is an argument that Caleb Williams holds the title but there is a strong push that Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best player coming out of college this offseason. He is a truly remarkable prospect who will be able to completely frustrate defenses at the professional level. Some of the mid-first-round caliber receivers will end up with some major question marks.
Most Alarming of the Wide Receiver Prospects in 2024?
One player that has triggered some serious interest has been Xavier Worthy out of the University of Texas. At 6’1″ and 172 pounds, Worthy doesn’t have the perfect build for an NFL receiver but his speed is simply electrifying. Worth was hundredths of a second away from breaking the 40-yard-dash record set by 2017 prospect John Ross.
Unfortunately for Worthy, that isn’t the only place where comparisons have been made between him and Ross. Ross was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and was a similar story: raw athleticism without much polish. Ross was able to stretch the field better than any player alive due to his record-breaking speed but was never able to function well at Paul Brown Stadium.
Worthy shows a similar type of talent where he has the raw speed to completely change the way a defense has to play. He is capable of running a complex route tree of deep routes and has excellent quickness getting in and out of routes. A team like the Kansas City Chiefs could take advantage of that speed with the throwing strength of outstanding quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The problem for Worthy is that he has all of Ross’ negative characteristics as well. Worthy has been known to drop the ball and has been seen not running his routes if he doesn’t think he’s going to get the ball. While that is fairly common in the college game, those are the types of behaviors that will get a player instantaneously cut from a team. After all, fans and players alike can forgive an honest mistake but to see an athlete get paid millions of dollars and put in sub-par effort is unacceptable.
It is possible that Worthy has a solid NFL career but speed-only wide receivers selected in the first round don’t necessarily have the best track record. Worthy will need to develop more as a player if he wants to make a long career as a professional football player.
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