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Kansas City Chiefs Trade Up to Draft WR Xavier Worthy: Grades and Analysis Roundtable

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Kansas City Chiefs Trade Up to Draft WR Xavier Worthy: Grades and Analysis Roundtable


The Kansas City Chiefs made a move to select a wide receiver in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, trading up from No. 32 to No. 28 overall to select Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy. In a three-pick swap with the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs sent No. 32, 95 and 221 in exchange for No. 28, 133 and 248. The Arrowhead Report on SI.com crew is on board with the selection, but why did KC make the move, and how should Chiefs fans grade it? That’s what we’re here for.

Joshua Brisco: The Chiefs did something very tough to accomplish in the NFL Draft: they were patient, prudent, and struck when the time was right. They got great value for a first-round trade-up and they didn’t jump higher than they needed to in order to land Worthy. Now, he joins Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice in 2024 while also projecting to be a dangerous long-term duo with Rice to keep the Chiefs young and stable into the future at wide receiver. (Plus, in the FanNation mock draft, Worthy was my pick at 32.) The fit is obvious, the process was extremely solid, and the upside is unreal. What else could you ask for?
Grade: A

Jordan Foote: Very rarely do you find a late-first-round selection that checks so many boxes at once. The draft pick value camp loves the Chiefs’ trade-up, the film community campaigned for Worthy as a first-rounder and the football world was puzzled that Buffalo would deal with Kansas City. Worthy may not be the prototypical “X” wideout some were clamoring for, but you simply can’t teach his speed. He’s more than just a fast wideout, too, giving Patrick Mahomes a lethal weapon on offense with a fifth-year option for the team down the road. Pick timing on Day Three is now worth monitoring and Worthy isn’t perfect, albeit this is still a great Day One draft haul.

Grade: A-

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Zack Eisen: The Chiefs make a small trade up for their future wide receiver one. Worthy brings the explosive speed element that this team was desperately lacking last season. However, he’s more than just a deep threat. Worthy separates on all three levels of the field with his stop-start ability. With the ball in his hands, he’s always a threat to score because of his dynamic movement ability. He and Mahomes will strike fear into defenses every time they line up on offense.
Grade: A-

Mark Van Sickle: The Chiefs trading up to No. 28 with the Buffalo Bills was totally unexpected. It felt like everyone was expecting the Bills to take a wide receiver with that pick. General manager Brett Veach does it again, this time trading up in the first round for a wide receiver for the first time. This could be a home run pick for a home run hitter in Xavier Worthy. He is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball and proved his worth over the past three years at Texas. Being the fastest guy ever recorded at the combine certainly doesn’t hurt, and Patrick Mahomes already approved of the pick with a sunglasses smiling emoji on Twitter/X. Having Hollywood Brown and Worthy as a deep-threat duo in 2024 has the potential to look like what the Dolphins have had with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. However, with Mahomes throwing them the ball and Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice eating in the middle of the field, the Chiefs have the potential to be one of the most potent offenses in the NFL once again.
Grade: A





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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

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On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.



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Deadly 4-car crash kills 2 people, injures others in Kansas City

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Deadly 4-car crash kills 2 people, injures others in Kansas City


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A crash near a busy highway killed two people and injured two others.

Emergency crews responded to the crash at U.S. 71 Highway and Meyer Boulevard around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, March 2.

When crews arrived they determined four cars were involved in the crash.

Police are investigating how the crash happened.

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Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City

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Homegrown Jayhawk stars ready to shine at Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City


LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) – As Kansas women’s basketball prepares to enter the postseason at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, they’ll be led by two Overland Park natives who have been two of the most electrifying players to watch in the country this year.

Junior guard S’Mya Nichols and freshman forward Jaliya Davis have played integral roles in the recent growth of the program. Both cite the desire to help grow the Jayhawks into something special as reasons for committing there.

“Where we wanted to take Kansas women’s basketball, I wanted to be a part of that growing evolution,” Nichols told KCTV5.

“We [my family] were also really big Jayhawk fans. We came to a lot of games,” Davis said about her childhood.

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The two were both 5-star recruits in high school, and their commitments marked historic recruiting victories for the KU women’s basketball program.

First came Nichols in the Class of 2023, picking KU over Tennessee and Oklahoma.

“I genuinely wanted to go to Kansas,” she said.

Then Davis became the highest-rated player to ever commit to KU as part of the Class of 2025.

“When you go back to S’Mya Nichols being a local, Kansas City, Overland Park product, a nationally respected player, Jaliya was really the next one that was very important for the Jayhawks to keep home,” said head coach Brandon Schneider.

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Now as a junior, Nichols has established herself as one of the most consistent scorers and physical guards in the nation.

But it’s the Shawnee Mission West’s alum’s leadership that defines her legacy in Lawrence.

“The team leader, the quarterback,” Coach Schneider described Nichols. “I think oftentimes the player that everybody looks up to off the court.”

“I mean it means everything. Knowing that I’m important to the team, and that they see me as that as well,” said Nichols with a smile.

Both Nichols and Davis were recruited by the Jayhawks for years, going all the way back to seventh grade.

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“Well, we offered her in middle school,’ Coach Schneider said with a laugh about Davis.

“Oh he put in a lot of work,” laughed Davis. “I mean, obviously, seventh grade, that’s a long time.”

It was that dedication from Coach Schneider that led her to choose the Jayhawks over Texas, South Carolina, Baylor, and Oklahoma – where he dad played ball.

“I think it really was the relationship we had and grew. He was always there, every single one of my games,” Davis said about Schneider.

After just one practice as teammates, Nichols voiced a big belief about Davis into existence – and it’s probably going to come true.

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The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.(KCTV5)

“I saw her first practice, and I sent her a text, and I’m like ‘I think you can win Freshman of the Year’, and I still stand by that,”

Davis is averaging 21.0 points per game, and has been named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for eight weeks in a row. That sets a power conference all-time record.

“I think it’s really cool. I mean obviously it’s a team effort, they’re always looking for me,” Davis said about her historic accomplishment.

“Just a phenomenal stretch of basketball for her, and so well deserving,” said Coach Schneider.

Now these two homegrown stars are at the forefront of a late-season push to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Right now, CBS Sports bracketology has them as a ‘First Four Out’ team.

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But a few wins in the Big 12 Tournament could certainly help seal their invite to the big dance.

“Obviously we’re not in the position that we were hoping to be in, but I think we can make the most out of it, and get to where we want to be,” Davis said about the opportunity at hand in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

The Overland Park kids are especially fired up about starting the postseason in their own backyard.

“I have a big support system. So I bet my family will take a big chunk of that area during that tournament,” Davis laughed.

“I remember being younger, and the College Basketball Experience is right next door. So I felt like at one moment that was the big stage, when I got to play my little AAU tournaments in there. And then all of a sudden I’m literally in T-Mobile Center on the actual big stage, so it’s pretty cool,” said Nichols.

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The Jayhawks are the 11-seed in the Big 12 Tournament, and will face 14-seed UCF in the first round on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.



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