Xavier Worthy goes to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 28 as two-time defending champs fill their hole at receiver at 2024 NFL Draft with dazzling Texas star… and give Patrick Mahomes a new weapon alongside Travis Kelce
The two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs may have finally addressed their hole at wide receiver by taking Texas’ Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick during Thursday’s NFL Draft in Detroit.
The Chiefs would be the last pick in the first round after winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, but they managed to pull off a trade with one of their biggest AFC rivals in Buffalo. The Chiefs sent pick No. 32, along with a fourth-rounder and seventh-rounder, to the Bills for No. 28, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder.
The addition to Worthy comes at a key time in Kansas City, where Rashee Rice is facing charges in connection with an alleged crash in the Dallas area.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, has been released.
Kadarius Toney, meanwhile, was benched for the final three weeks of the 2023 season and may still not be in the team’s future plans.
Texas’ Xavier Worthy makes a catch while being covered by Washington cornerback Elijah Jackson
Kansas City Chiefs fans hold up a Travis Kelce cutout during the NFL Draft in Detroit on Thursday
Travis Kelce, left, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes – two of Worthy’s new teammates
Worthy broke the NFL combine record when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, displaying the kind of raw speed that Kansas City once enjoyed with Tyreek Hill on the roster.
But Worthy is more than just a big threat. He showed promise as a route runner and reduced drops last season, when he caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns.
The Chiefs were already looking for a wide receiver before Rice was arrested following a high-speed sports car crash in Texas that injured several people.
The second-year pro is facing charges including one charge of aggravated assault, one charge of collision causing serious bodily injury and six charges of collision causing injury. He has been released on bail.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid has said Rice will continue to attend offseason meetings while his legal situation plays out.