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Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Wide receiver Xavier Worthy showed one of the biggest reasons the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the first round during the team’s rookie camp when he left defenders behind on a deep pattern down the middle and caught a pass from quarterback Chris Oladokun.
The camp wasn’t perfect for Worthy, who dropped a few passes during his first practice and sat out the last part after his leg cramped. But, as with the big play, he showed enough over the three days for the Chiefs to feel good about his ability to help their passing game.
“People were dogging him for the first day,” said Oladokun, the only quarterback at the camp under contract. “That’s just a welcome to the league. But Xavier is going to do really well in this offense. We’re all really excited about him. You saw what he can do in terms of spinning [defenders] at the top of routes and how explosive he is, stretching the field and his [yards-after-the catch] ability.”
Worthy ran the fastest 40-yard dash time in combine history this year with his 4.21. But he showed at rookie camp that he’s more than just speed. As Oladokun mentioned, he more than once separated from a defender with his ability to get in and out of a break quickly.
“I feel like I can play receiver,” Worthy said. “I’ve run the whole route tree, [been] disciplined, smart. … I feel like I’m ready to compete and see what’s up in Kansas City.
“I’m coming with a mentality to work hard, earn my spot and earn my spot in the locker room.”
Rookie cornerback Kamal Hadden, a sixth-round draft pick, covered Worthy on more than one play during rookie camp.
“The speed is one thing but I feel like he runs great routes,” Hadden said. “He’s a guy that can get open and I feel like he’s a guy that’s going to make a lot of plays in the league and he’s going to do his thing here.”
Worthy and Marquise Brown were the additions to a wide receiving group that outside of rookie Rashee Rice produced little for the Chiefs last season. Brown is two years removed from his best NFL season when he caught 91 passes for more than 1,000 yards for the Baltimore Ravens in 2021.
Worthy caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards last season in 14 games at Texas.
The idea behind signing two fast wide receivers was to open up the passing game. The Chiefs were 14th in the league last season in pass plays of 20 yards or more with 52. But much of that was accomplished with runs after the catch. The Chiefs were last in air yards on such plays, indicating receivers weren’t getting open much down the field.
“Having [Worthy] and Hollywood and Travis [Kelce] and Rashee I think is going to be really exciting,” general manager Brett Veach said. “He’s a guy that I think can do a lot for us. There’s a premium in this league on speed and playmaking ability and he has that. So I think the vision for him is we have him for five years now and that’s a big deal for us as we try to keep this thing together and add pieces. Those playmakers are hard to come by and they’re expensive in the offseason.”
While Worthy showed at the rookie camp he is more than just fast, it’s his speed that is immediately eye-catching. On the deep pass, Worthy was down the field so fast he had to wait to get the ball from Oladokun, who had faked a handoff before seeing Worthy open.
“He was already 50 yards down field,” Oladokun said. “That’s going to be something I think he’s going to do really well in this offense.”
