Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy has come a long way in his first NFL season.<\/p>\n
Known for setting the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL Combine history, Worthy entered the league primarily viewed as a deep-threat specialist. However, as the season progressed, he expanded his game, becoming a more versatile weapon in head coach Andy Reid\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were just mixing up their coverages, making sure nothing got past them,\u201d Worthy said. \u201cI expected that a lot from defenses, so really, my game has improved on the underneath stuff. They got to figure that out now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many rookies, Worthy experienced growing pains early in the season but found his confidence and became a reliable option in the Chiefs\u2019 passing attack in the second half of the year. He finished the regular season with 59 receptions for 638 receiving yards and a total of nine touchdowns.<\/p>\n
His impact carried into his first two postseason games, where he has already recorded 11 catches on 13 targets, 130 receiving yards and a key touchdown in the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n
A major factor in Worthy\u2019s development has been learning from Kansas City\u2019s veteran receiving corps. With future Hall of Famers like Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins, an established veteran like Hollywood Brown and a breakout second-year player in Rashee Rice, Worthy has had invaluable mentors to guide him through his rookie season.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy development throughout the season \u2014 I got to give kudos to my guys like Travis Kelce, [Hopkins], Hollywood and Rashee,\u201d Worthy said. \u201cThey really helped me out and made it easier to figure out stuff and give me all the little tours. Travis gave me basically just finding the zone and sitting in zones. You don\u2019t have to keep running. So, that really helped out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Worthy\u2019s biggest influences, however, isn\u2019t on the Chiefs\u2019 roster. Former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowler receiver DeSean Jackson \u2014 a player Reid once coached and one of his era’s most electrifying deep threats \u2014 has been a blueprint for Worthy\u2019s development.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it was just a perfect fit,\u201d Worthy said of joining the Chiefs. \u201cI feel like Andy Reid had a perfect offense for me to come in and learn. [In] DeSean Jackson \u2014 he had a guy similar to me, so he kind of knew how to use a receiver like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Worthy prepares to face Jackson\u2019s former team in the Super Bowl, he hopes to channel that same explosiveness on football\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to emulate my game after DeSean Jackson,\u201d Worthy said. \u201cHe\u2019s arguably one of my favorite players of all time, so I try to emulate after him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis ability to get the ball and make a play, regardless whether that\u2019s a punt return, bubble screen, deep ball, or catching the ball on a slant and going 80 \u2014 just his ability to score from anywhere on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kansas City\u2019s rookie wide receiver has expanded his game throughout the season, just in time for their Super Bowl matchup vs. the Eagles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":32033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n