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-

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