As a high school sophomore, Xavier Worthy hit 10.55 in the 100m sprint. In addition to that obvious speed, Worthy showed change of direction skill that separated him from typical track athletes. This combination, however raw, proved to be instantly elite at the college level. His 981 receiving yards led all freshmen, and his 12 receiving TDs tied for 8th in the FBS, alongside the likes of NFL first round picks Garrett Wilson and Jahan Dotson.
If you're just watching his 2023 tape, you're going to want a little more. Make sure to turn on the freshman film. This guy has had the sauce since Year 1. The question should be consistency, not potential. He has shown flashes of every trait that successful downfield weapons in the NFL possess.
The play below is the featured route for a play-action deep curl throwback. Xavier is THE option on this play. It's designed specifically for him, and if he's not open, the QB is hosed. That's a lot of trust for a freshman. But they give it to him, and it pays off. Worthy works easy pace off the line to sell run, then bursts to the CB's outside shoulder to threaten fade. He gets on the defender's toes in the blink of an eye, then slams on the breaks. Zero wasted steps. Upfield acceleration to Downhill in under 10 yards.
Worthy will demand cushion. That cushion will give him room to hit chunk wins for free. His stopping power is legit. Here, it just takes 3 steps to get to full stop. Trigger step, then 1, 2 and rotate the momentum outside. He sits comfortably in that cushion, wide open without having to work back downhill.
Worthy's press release work is competent. He owns enough lateral agility to compensate for strength disparities. A good coach will keep him off the line. If he has a couple extra yards of space, he'll be able to do plenty of damage with his current tools.
If you do come up to the line of scrimmage you better have a plan to make contact. This poor fella had deep third responsibility against Worthy. He turns & runs full speed off the snap and Worthy still roasts him for an easy 40 yard TD.
Legitimately one of the funniest things I've seen. Defender turning his back on the receiver at the snap to desperately have a shot to save the endzone and gets absolutely dusted anyway.
Xavier Worthy combines special start-stop athleticism with genuine strategic intelligence. Here, he's tasked with a skinny post against a cornerback with inside leverage. The cornerback is exactly where you don't want him, but freshman Worthy knows ball. He sets the CB up by driving outside into his blindspot, forcing him to flip his hips back outside to cover the fade. As soon as the CB initiates a move back outside, Worthy puts his foot in the ground to hit the post. The acceleration is insane. Worthy blows by both the CB and the rotating Safety for a huge over-the-top gain.
☑️ Coverage Recognition
☑️ Exploitation Implement
☑️ Execution
This level of route texture was noticeable throughout the film. Check this double rocker step into a curl. Three layers of ownage. Playing with his food.
Another double rocker, this time with a deep out. Checking more boxes. Curvilinear transition on the speed cut is smooth. Very good control for a guy that will make his living sprinting all out. While I wouldn't send him inside on a dig due to his size, Tank Dell feasted on these speed outs. Worthy can be a similar chain-mover without being a contested catch target.
Watch game film specifically organized for Fantasy Scouting. Clips are tagged and fully sortable by Play Type, Down & Distance, Defensive Coverage, Release Technique, etc.
When it comes to receiving, Worthy's catch point skill is not average, it's poor. Passes outside of his frame are difficult. Anything that surprises him from a shorter distance will get dropped. Short range passes mean less time to adjust and he simply doesn't have that neurological capacity.
Even gimme touchdowns with no one around. If it's remotely outside of expectation, it's going to end up on the ground.
Contact survivability is predictably poor.
It became easy to expect that he would drop the ball if there was anything challenging about the pass, but he'll flash occasional wins that give you hope. The main difference is visual focus. He does fine tracking the ball, catching with his hands, away from his frame, as long as he's not multi-tasking. I simply wouldn't ask him to work through the middle of the field in the horizontal plane. Hit your drags and crossers outside the numbers and he should be okay, anything between the hashes is not worth throwing.
In the short game, it's best to keep him clean at the catch point with screens. He has good instincts and while he won't typically hit multiple moves to wiggle free, he flashes a decent escapability toolkit.
If he's going to become a reliable downfield threat, Worthy will have to generate high point wins. Even though he lost this rep, I'd like to appreciate his leaping ability. He springs off one leg and accesses the full extension of his vertical jump despite running full speed.
That exact skill can lead to big time plays. Worthy puts it all together on this Red River Rivalry TD. He doesn't lose any speed with extra gather steps. His jump is beautifully integrated in with his route path. He snags the ball at its highest point, then finishes through the ground. Clutch.
