Scouting Report: Xavier Worthy (WR) - Texas
Sales Pitch: “Dynamic WR with the speed and ball tracking to threaten a defense vertically. Lacks the size and strength to be a true WR1 but brings versatile playmaking and return ability to add juice to an offense.”
Athletic Profile
Height: 5’ 11 1/4”
Weight: 165 lbs
Arm Length: 31 1/8”
Hand Size: 8 3/4”
40 Yard Dash: 4.21
10 Yard Split: 1.44
Vertical: 41”
Broad Jump: 10’ 11”
Short Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Age: 21
Relative Athletic Score: 9.41 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 197 REC - 2,755 YDS - 14.0 YPR - 26 TD
2023: 75 REC - 1,014 YDS - 13.5 YPR - 5 TD
Strengths
Explosive athlete with tremendous quickness and agility
Strong feel for space and leverage as a ball carrier and route runner
Toughness to take on defenders bigger than him
Gives tons of effort as a blocker despite his lack of size
Elite straight-line speed that changes how defenses defend an offense
Quickly eats up cushion versus off man and zone coverage
Quickness and burst to win at the line of scrimmage versus smaller DBs
Strong separation skills on vertical routes and crossers
Quickly is able to stack defenders that do not get hands on him during his release
High end ball tracking skills and sideline awareness
Good concentration and dexterity on deep balls
Dynamic playmaker in the open field with the ball in his hands
Return background with the versatility to be a moveable chess piece on offense
Weaknesses
Production can fluctuate due to a boom or bust play style
Rail thin frame with marginal play strength
Struggles to play through press coverage of DBs who can match him athletically
Reroutes are particularly effective and can disrupt his route timing
Lacks the play strength or hand usage to work across the face of defenders with leverage
5+ drops in all three seasons of his collegiate career
Not a natural hands catcher, can fight the ball on difficult throws
Struggles to secure catches through contact with defenders or the ground
Poor ability to break tackles
Poor blocker
Summary
Xavier Worthy is a former 4-Star recruit and track and field standout from the state of California. He was Texas’ leading receiver in 2023 with over 1,000 yards and has been a three year starter for the Longhorns, logging 39 consecutive starts in his career. Worthy is best know for his ability to stretch the field. The former 100-meter star has elite straight-line speed that threatens defenses vertically. He displays excellent ball tracking skills and deep ball concentration on passes of 20+ yards. Worthy is an explosive athlete with plus quickness and agility in addition to his play speed. He is capable of running a complete route tree but is at his best on vertical routes and crossers. Texas loved to use him in a variety of alignments to get him the ball in space with clean releases. An excellent punt returner, Worthy is a dynamic weapon with the ball in his hands and typically garners a handful of schemed touches a game. Worthy’s biggest weakness is his lack of size for the position. Generously listed at 6’ 1” 172 he struggles to play with physicality in all aspects of his game. Defensive backs that can match his speed and quickness are easily able to press him off his mark in man and reroute him in zone. He is a poor blocker in the run game and struggles to break tackles as a ball carrier when defenders get a hand on him. Worthy is also inconsistent at securing in passes through contact with the defender or the ground. He is not a natural hand catcher and struggled with consistency issues in terms of drops, having 5+ in all three years of starting. Worthy projects as a WR2 in a vertical passing attack. His lack of size and strength limits his ability to win consistently on the outside, likely keeping him out of first round conversations in this years draft despite his relatively well rounded game. He will be a tremendous auxiliary piece in a vertical passing attack and brings high end playmaking and return ability as well.