The Kansas City Chiefs got aggressive in the first round of the NFL Draft by trading up from the 32nd pick to No. 28, courtesy of the Buffalo Bills. As a result, Kansas City selected speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy from Texas, adding him to a receiver room that includes the recently signed Hollywood Brown.
That and more in today’s Chiefs news!
Kansas City Chiefs News Today
Chiefs Among Winners of First Round
Rashee Rice may be on the sidelines for a multi-game suspension due to his involvement in a Dallas car crash, adding uncertainty to a unit that struggled last season.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes thrives with having speedy receivers in Kansas City’s offense. With Rice’s potential absence, the team pounced on the opportunity to add to their leader’s weaponry.
Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson lists the Chiefs as one of the winners of the first round of this year’s draft.
“K.C. moved up two spots, acquiring pick 28 from the Buffalo Bills before taking Texas’ Xavier Worthy, who set a new Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash and won’t turn 21 years old until Saturday,” Robinson wrote.
“With free agent signing Hollywood Brown also in town, the Chiefs have protected themselves if and when Rice is sidelined.”
READ MORE: Winners and Losers From Round 1
ESPN Writer Places High Praise on First-Round Selection
ESPN writer Adam Teicher believes that Kansas City’s selection of Worthy is a good one. Not only did Worthy run the fastest 40-yard dash ever at the Combine, but he was highly productive in his three-year career at Texas.
Worthy finished his college career with 197 catches for 2,755 yards and 26 touchdowns on 14 yards per catch.
“The Chiefs didn’t want to merely rebuild at wide receiver after last season’s group underachieved,” Teicher wrote. “They wanted to rebuild with speed. Selecting Worthy, who ran a Combine record 4.21 40-yard dash, is a major step in that direction.
“Worthy joins another fast receiving acquisition, free agent signee Marquise Brown. The Chiefs struggled last season to connect on many big plays down the field and they hope these moves, particularly drafting Worthy, corrects the problem.”
RELATED: Top WRs in the 2024 NFL Draft
College Coach Believes Worthy Is a ‘Perfect Fit’ in Kansas City
Longhorns Country’s Matt Galatzan heard from Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, who believes that Worthy will fit seamlessly in Kansas City’s offense, which caters to speedy wide receivers and plays to Mahomes’ arm strength and accuracy.
“Xavier is a perfect fit in that explosive Chiefs offense,” Sarkisian said. “He obviously has electric, world-class speed and clearly is a threat to go the distance any time he touches the ball, but he probably plays with more toughness than people give him credit for.
“He’s got the plethora of the route tree he can run, really understands coverages, is a highly intelligent football player, and can absolutely run all day… He made big plays, critical catches, was a much-improved blocker, and just did it all for us every time out.”
READ MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Grades
Chiefs Players React to Worthy Pick
Several Chiefs players reacted to the Worthy pick.
Me trying to keep up on WR screens this year. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/JZpzwN1L6x
— Creed Humphrey (@creed_humphrey) April 26, 2024
“Me trying to keep up on WR screens this year. #ChiefsKingdom,” center Creed Humphrey posted.
Mahomes posted an emoji wearing sunglasses and another with a man running when the pick was announced.
😎
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 26, 2024
🏃🏽♂️
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 26, 2024
Linebacker Drue Tranquill poked fun at the old Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. joke of years past.
“Xavier Worthy down there somewhere.”
LETS GO @XavierWorthy .. time to work‼️
— Drue Tranquill (@DTranquill) April 26, 2024
“Xavier Worthy down there somewhere,” Tranquill wrote.
MORE: Receivers Taken in the 2024 NFL Draft
Goodell Gives Update on Rashee Rice Situation
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Rice’s situation by Mike Greenberg of ESPN. Rice was driving a Lamborghini at 119 mph and caused a six-car crash on a Dallas highway, causing seven people to be injured before he fled the scene.
Per ESPN, his former SMU teammate, Teddy Knox, was driving a Corvette at 116 mph.
“Well, first, we allow the legal process to move through,” Goodell said, via Pro Football Talk. “We obviously are following it closely, and as soon as they’re done with the process, we will be engaged and prepared to look at that under all of our Personal Conduct Policies.”
KEEP READING: Rashee Rice Turns Himself In