One of the first things you might notice when looking up information about new Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy is that he's quite slim.
He weighed in at 165 pounds at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, though he played closer to 170 pounds at the University of Texas. His weight is reminiscent of a player like DeSean Jackson, whom he already has earned comparisons to. It raises some concerns about whether he'll be able to hold up in the NFL.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid was asked directly about Worthy's weight and whether it could be an issue at the next level. He had the perfect quip teed up for reporters.
“You’re asking the wrong guy about weight," Reid joked. "I think he’s fine where he’s at. I don’t think that’s a
problem. He’s playing at a high level, and he’s been doing this since he was a freshman. I’m not too worried
about the weight.”
Jokes aside, Reid has a point about Worthy. At just 18 years old, this slender wide receiver caught 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named a freshman All-American and First-Team All-Conference. He also earned Big-12 Freshman of the Year honors. Worthy turns 21 years old on Saturday, April 27. He still has a lot of maturing to do from a physical standpoint. The Chiefs already aim to accomplish that through their weight and nutrition program according to Brett Veach.
“I think he’ll have to continue to grow and get stronger, he’s a young kid," Veach said. "Again, I think when those guys that can go from a high school level right to the University of Texas and spit out almost 1,000 yards as a freshman. Those guys typically can adjust and adapt quickly.
"Anyone at any position, once you get to this level there will be a continual growth and maturation process. We’ll have him with our dietitian and our weight staff. We’re not going to make him 200 pounds, but also keep him at the 175-180 mark I think will be a heathy weight for him. It will all make sense, and like I said, all these guys are going to have to get bigger and stronger just from the marathon of the season, just to survive more games.”
In the meantime, can Worthy take a hit in the NFL and survive it? Well, both Reid and Veach mentioned his toughness. That toughness is also very apparent on tape.
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