Ther🎐e are no slow news days when discuss🎀ing Xavier Worthy.
Especially when we’re discussing him in conjunction with the Chicago Bears, who are reportedly hosting Worthy for a pre-draft top-30 visit TODAY.
The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain last night, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter during lunch. Meanwhile, Xavier Worthy let it be known that he was on his way to Chicago via his Instagram stories. And in doing so, tagged projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams know about it:
Oh, this is so clever. And slick. Did we just see Caleb Williams quietly lobby for the Bears to draft Xavier Worthy via a Twitter like? Who’s to say? Whatever it is, I love this stuff. All of it. Because if you can’t allow yourself to have fun with this type of stuff ahead of the NFL Draft, then you probably won’t allow yourself to have any fun this time of years. I bet that makes you a hit at parties.
Anyway, I should be clear about one thing before I move on to discuss Xavier Worthy and his potential Bears fit. No, nothing is officially official with the Bears and the USC quarterback prospect who is the presumptive No. 1 pick. Although, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport had this to say about Chicago’s plans for the first pick last week:
“It does seem that the Bears are honing in on Caleb Williams. Obviouslyꦛ, nothing firm, no announcement, nothing official. But that seems to be the direction they are heading now. And it seems like Caleb Williams would also like that.”
If not for my buddy’s wedding, a long overdue catch-up session with friends, a slushy flight, gifts from some pals, and a surprise from my aunt, putting to rest the “Caleb Williams doesn’t want to go to Chicago” narrative would’ve been a top-5 thing that happened in my world last week. With that being said, let us take some time and pivot to a prospect who could be catching balls from Williams in the future.
Xavier Worthy as a potential Chicago Bears NFL Draft target
If Xavier Worthy’s name rings bells, it is possibly because he broke the NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash record back in March. And if that doesn’t jog your memory, it’s cool. We’ve got highlights:
Being ridiculously fast doesn’t guarantee NFL success. But (1) it looks cool and (2) players who have that turbo boost can be an X factor for teams with the right infrastructure in place to maximize that particular trait. For what it’s worth, the Bears spent a chunk of this offseason re-tooling the offensive side of the ball to create a quarterback-friendly environment. And I feel as if running backs, tight ends, linemen, and receivers will benefit from the organizational obsession with getting it right at quarterback position. The trickle-down effect could be real here, folks. Maybe Worthy could be a draft pick who gets to experience that first hand.
One thing we should keep in mind when it comes to Worthy is that he is more than just fast. The University of Texas product put up some good numbers for the Longhorns. Last season, Worthy caught 75 passes, picked up 1,014 receiving yards, and scored five touchdowns. The year before that, Worthy put up a 60-760-9 line. And in 2021, Worthy contributed with 62 catches, 981 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. I’m #NotAScout, but Xavier Worthy seems to be the type of prospect who blends world-class speed and NFL playmaking ability. This is the kind of combination actual NFL scouts drool over.
So … where’s the Bears fit?
NFL Network draft guru has Worthy as the♍ No. 35 prospect in this NFL Draft class. And this prospect write-up gives us an idea of what the UT standout is all about on th🏅e field:
The 40-yard dash king is extremely twitchy and can take the top off the defense. He plays inside and outside. He was used in a variety of ways at Texas, but he is at his best on double moves, shot plays and pure takeoffs. He is dynamic off the line and can tap into a second and third gear down the field. He also is crispy out of the break when asked to work back downhill. His hands🧸 have been spotty over his career, but he was much more reliable this past fall than he had been before. After the catch, he has a jet pack on his back. He explodes away from defenders and racks up big plays.
The speed and versatility mentions are the types of things that I like to read about receiver prospects. Being fast is awesome. But being a one-trick pony won’t get you much playing time in the NFL. Jeremiah drops a “taller version of Hollywood Brown” comp on Worthy, which certainly grabs my attention. Brown is an explosive play-maker who scored 21 touchdowns in the first three years of his career and put up a 1,008-yard receiving season at age 24 in Year 3 in Baltimore. If the Worthy-Brown comp played out, he would be a heckuva pick for some NFL team.
I don’t see Worthy as a target with the No. 9 selection. And after displaying that blazing speed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, there is a part of me that expects Worthy to be long gone by the time Chicago goes on the clock with the No. 75 pick on Day 2. With that in mind, I can see Worthy’s prospect buzz lifting him as high as the later stages of Round 1.
