Xavier Worthy

Drafted 28th overall last spring, Worthy had an odd rookie season that seemed equally defined by frequent TDs and near-misses. He had a rushing score and a receiving score in his NFL debut, immediately showing why the Chiefs took a shot on a 165-pound receiver with 4.21 speed, although it wasn't until Week 5 that he drew more than four targets in a game. Once he started to see more passes, there seemed to be at least one or two plays each week on which he was open for a big gain and either muffed the catch or saw Patrick Mahomes misfire. Their chemistry improved later, with Worthy catching 15 passes for 144 yards and two TDs in Weeks 16-17, but he nonetheless finished the regular season having caught just six of 29 targets 10-plus yards downfield, earning nearly all of his production on short throws and schemed targets/touches. If you're more of a glass-half-full person, Worthy scored nine TDs (three rushing) and consistently led the Kansas City wideouts in playing time despite being one of the NFL's youngest players. The glass-half-full contingent grew considerably during the playoffs, when Worthy put up 5-45-0 (six targets), 6-85-1 (seven targets) and 8-157-2 (eight targets), aided by a long TD in garbage time of the Super Bowl. The playoff outburst is justified cause for optimism that Worthy can overcome his slight build and work in tandem with Rashee Rice to return Kansas City's offense to its high-flying ways from the prime Kelce/Hill days, although Rice also represents serious competition for the short targets that Worthy made his living on for much of last year. Read Past Outlooks