WR Xavier Worthy Prospect Deep Dive: Will He Live Up To The Hype Of His Remarkable Combine Performance?

Xavier Worthy at first glance appears to be this combine warrior with just ridiculous speed. However, unlike someone like Jalin Hyatt, he has rare explosiveness and twitchiness. Additionally, he brings more to the table than just pure athleticism. After breaking the combine record for the forty-yard dash, Worthy went from being a day two prospect to being talked about going round one. The other significant factor that analysts observed was his weight as he weighed in at 165 lbs. Whether or not his athleticism will be able to overcome his weight deficiency is what we’ll be diving into.

Four all-22 games and his highlights were evaluated, and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Please gamble responsibly and leave your feedback on Twitter @FBIntellect.

Xavier Worthy’s Receiving Stats

Film Analysis

Xavier Worthy runs a beautiful deep out-route in the clip above. The defense is in cover two leaving the deep corners of the field vulnerable. Worthy does a good job of making a sharp cut against the Safety and keeping his feet in bounds.

Worthy shows off his exceptional ball-tracking ability here. Against press bail, Worthy explodes off the line and gains the outside leverage. The ball is thrown slightly inside but Worthy has enough of a step on him, that it doesn’t matter.

Worthy runs another crisp deep out-route against TCU this time. He’s one-on-one in man coverage and puts a subtle but effective hesi on the DB. He then had the elite change of direction to create a good amount of separation.

Grades

OVR Grade: 1-100

Traits/ Skills

Xavier Worthy’s Pros And Cons

Xavier Worthy Bio

• Xavier Worthy isn’t just purely speed. He also brings to the table elite acceleration and rapid change of direction ability, which gives him a frightening upside.

Pros

• Takes the top off the defense better than almost anyone; runs so fast that it’s hard to hit him in stride.
• Excellent ball tracking ability on deep balls.
• A tough guy to tackle in open space – averaged 7.6 YAC per reception.
• Solid ability to beat the press as he has elite burst and stellar foot quickness. He’ll just struggle against the longer and more physical Corners in the NFL.
• A remarkable change of direction ability allows him to thrive as a route runner.
• Has deceptive fake cuts which allow him to separate in the intermediate-deep range of the field.
• Been a consistent deep threat for Texas for three years straight.
• Played with a broken hand and still had a reasonably low amount of drops.

Cons

• Not much of a catch radius to speak of and doesn’t have the most secure hands in traffic.
• Had a few miscommunication errors and didn’t always have great awareness when the play broke down.
• Lacks play strength and won’t ever be that good of a run blocker.
• For someone who projects to play on the perimeter, you’d like him to have better length; won’t ever be elite at beating press coverage.

Combine

40 yd: 4.21

Ten yd: 1.49

Shuttle:

Three Cone:

Broad Jump: 10’11”

Vertical: 41″

Bench:

Arm length: 31 1/8″

Hand Size: 8 5/8″

Pro Day – TBD

40 yd:

Ten yd:

Shuttle:

Three cone:

Broad Jump:

Vertical:

Bench:

Arm length:

Hand Size:

All-22 Exposures

• Alabama, 2022
• Alabama, 2023
• BYU, 2023
• TCU, 2023

Final Conclusion On Xavier Worthy

I had watched a little bit of Xavier Worthy before the combine and while I wasn’t shocked he broke the forty record, it still wasn’t what I expected. He played six pounds heavier at Texas, which explains why he was able to get such an insane time. Despite the fact he broke the record, I don’t think his speed is quite on Tyreek Hill’s level. The game speed is still some of the best I’ve ever seen, and paired with outstanding short-area movement skills, could make him an elite deep threat.

While the first-round hype is warranted, I don’t see Worthy ever being a true X-Receiver, but he could have the same level of impact as Jaylen Waddle. If paired with a QB who can attack downfield, he can develop into one of the best vertical threats in the league. The problem with Worthy is his lack of catch radius and contested catch ability. Without that trait to rely on, he could easily bust and be a mediocre gadget player. Plus he is super light and could get injured easily. However, you don’t see athletes like him come out every year, therefore, it’s worth it to take the risk and draft him in the late first round. I’d be willing to bet he lives up to the hype of his combine performance, but I could also see how some wouldn’t be willing to bet that.