JetNation Prospect Profile: Texas WR Xavier Worthy

Hands: We’ve probably watched more of Worthy than any other player in this class over the past three seasons.  There aren’t many holes in his game but if we had to note one minor concern it would be his hands and consistency.  Even with his five drops last season, Worthy caught 94% of his on target throws and we would expect consistency to come with time.  Still a very young player at 20-years-old.

Release: Elite.  Worthy first popped up on our radar as a true freshman against Oklahoma when he caught 9 passes for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Worthy was on top of the Oklahoma secondary in the blink of an eye multiple times and did it time and again over the rest of his career.

Separation/Quickness: Worthy’s speed sets up a variety of additional routes that he shows the ability to run as a 20-year-old player.

Ball Skills: The aforementioned drops won’t be enough to force him out of the first round with all of the other aspects of his game taken into consideration.

Speed:  We think the 4.21 speaks for itself.

Size: At 5′ 11” 165 there will be concerns about his ability to hold up in the NFL but injuries were never an issue in college and there have certainly been receivers who checked in smaller than Worthy and had productive careers.

Run Blocking: At his size you won’t see him dominate as a blocker but he won’t shy away from it.

Versatility: Per PFF Worthy spent roughly 2/3 of his time on the boundary and the rest in the slot.  Also averaged 14.1 yards per punt return on 40 tries.

Notes:

Ranks fourth all-time in receiving yards at Texas with 2,755 while his 197 receptions are good for sixth best ever.

Summary:

NFL Insider Ian Rapoport said after Worthy’s combine performance that Worthy could be the fourth wide receiver off the board in Indy which wouldn’t come as much of a surprise.  As we said earlier, go watch Worth in the Red River Rivalry from his freshman year and you’ll see how special he can be.  We believe his combination of speed, change of direction, contact balance and ball tracking can and will make Worthy an immediate impact player.