On Wednesday morning, Kansas City Chiefs First-Round Draft Pick Xavier Worthy was indoctrinated into his first official NFL training camp practice. With a bandage on his leg and a jammed finger, he experienced firsthand what it’s like in St. Joe.
Two days before the NFL Draft, Texas Wide Receiver Xavier Worthy posted on his social media page that he was a future member of the Kansas City Chiefs. That wish became a reality, and Chiefs fans are excited to have the fastest player in the NFL on their team.
The accolades surrounding Worthy are plentiful and spot on. He’s an electric receiver with blazing speed, excellent hands, and a terrific understanding of route running. When the Chiefs made him their first-round pick, they wanted another weapon for Patrick Mahomes.
A hamstring injury has recently limited his work on the field, but he indicated he’s ready to go after practice. At camp this morning, he had his hamstring bandaged, and Head Coach Andy Reid said on Tuesday that he was progressing. Still, Reid runs a tight ship, and Worthy is battling an injury and the pressures of his first camp.
“I mean, it’s like a college training camp. I feel like there’s no better way to train for a training camp than coming out of college. As you said, it’s a tough training camp, so you got to prepare for it either way,” Worthy said after his first practice.
Worthy is not new to dealing with injuries. He suffered a hand injury in Texas during his freshman year and did play effectively through that process.
Still, when Mahomes is your quarterback, there’s pressure to be ready and healthy. Although they’ve only had a few sessions together, Mahomes is counting on Worthy.
“You don’t want to be the number one pick (first-round draft pick), come in and be sitting on the bench and watching,” Mahomes said. “He’s a competitive kid who wants to be in there. We are going to get him going. We just – we got to see how he’s doing here. Like I said, in this rookie camp these lines are short, so they will get plenty of reps.”
Those reps are indeed vital to the Chiefs resurgence on offense. Reid and Mahomes have clarified that they intend to stretch the field again. With Worthy, the addition of Hollywood Brown and resigning, and Mecole Hardman returning, this team is counting on the speed of their top draft pick.
“I definitely feel like there’s no time to ease in, I mean, it’s all go. Once you’re here, you’re here. I understand definitely what Pat’s (Mahomes) saying and just to build that connection with him is going to be key here.” Worthy stated today.
The good news for Worthy is that he has nearly two months to be ready for the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. If they can ease him into things and allow him to complete the first part of camp before the games begin next month, that should give him confidence that the injury is behind him.
