When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted former Texas speedster Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, many analysts said how frightening that could be for opposing defenses across the league. It didn’t take long for Worthy to make a splash on Thursday night in his first touch of his rookie career.
Worthy took an end-around handoff right through the Ravens defense, showcasing his electrifying speed for a 21-yard touchdown run, the first of his NFL career.
The game is currently tied at 7-7 with 14:53 remaining in the second quarter. It’s being televised on NBC.
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be extremely difficult to stop on offense with weapons such as Worthy, Isiah Pacheco, Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice, and Travis Kelce. That’s not even mentioning Mahomes who’s been historically good ever since he entered the league a few years ago.
Worthy cemented his draft status in early March when he ran a 4.21-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Fans at Lucas Oil Stadium gave Worthy a standing ovation as he broke the combine record of 4.22, previously owned by John Ross.
What else did Worthy bring to the table besides his blazing speed? Lots of experience and plenty of tape of his game-changing catches.
Worthy caught 26 touchdown passes in his UT career, which ranks third in school history. His career yardage of 2,755 ranks fourth. He caught 197 passes in his career, which ended up as sixth best in Longhorn history.
The Chiefs are looking to accomplish one of the more difficult tasks in all of pro football, the elusive three-peat. They’re looking to win three straight Super Bowl trophies and after upgrading the weaponry for Pat Mahomes this offseason, it’s certainly within the realm of possibilities.
The Chiefs return Rashee Rice at wide receiver, and league officials have essentially stated they don’t anticipate him being suspended this year, unless there is a material change in his legal case. Last year as a rookie, he hauled in 79 catches for 938 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He’s expected to get more action early in the 2024 season due to some of the other injuries the Chiefs have been dealing with.
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was acquired by Kansas City this offseason, but he’s been dealing with a sternoclavicular injury he suffered against the Jaguars in preseason. He’s been ruled out for the team’s season opener. So, we’ll see when he gets back to full speed. In the time that he misses, weapons like Rice, rookie Xavier Worthy, and tight end Travis Kelce will have to step up.
