Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes got what he wanted on Thursday night: an explosive playmaker who will turbocharge their passing attack.
During the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Chiefs dealt three picks (No. 32, No. 95 and No. 221) to the Buffalo Bills to move up to the 28th slot and select Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Mahomes and K.C. linebacker Drue Tranquill lauded the move on their X accounts.
The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years last season, but their receiving corps was underwhelming. Per Pro Football Reference, it led the league in drops (44). As a result, Mahomes’ numbers dipped. The two-time MVP threw 27 touchdowns in 16 games, the second-lowest mark of his career.
Though Kansas City signed WR Marquise Brown to a one-year, $7M deal in free agency, it clearly needed more quality pass-catchers.
Worthy, 20, could reignite the Chiefs’ passing attack. In three seasons with the Longhorns, he finished with the sixth-most receptions (197), the fourth-most receiving yards (2,755) and third-most TD catches (26) in program history. He also broke the 40-yard dash record (4.21) at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“It should give Pat another weapon to use,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Worthy, via The Athletic’s Nate Taylor. “He’s not a big kid, at least weight-wise. But I think you’ll see the toughness he’s got, which jumped out (on film). A tremendous worker.”
ESPN draft expert Matt Miller’s comp for Worthy is former Philadelphia WR DeSean Jackson, who made two Pro Bowls while Reid served as Eagles head coach. Considering Reid’s knack for developing speedy wideouts, Worthy could follow in Jackson’s footsteps and become a star.