Breaking down Xavier Worthy's 40-yard dash time and where it ranks today

The 2024 NFL Draft made it clear that the Kansas City Chiefs missed Tyreek Hill.

That's not to say anyone in Chiefs Kingdom wold argue with the results of having won back-to-back championships since trading Hill away in a blockbuster trade in the spring of 2022. Rather, it's simultaneously true that the offense has lacked a level of dynamism and downfield impact since making such a deal, and the Chiefs decided to go all on rectifying that issue this past offseason.

Beyond signing Hollywood Brown to a free agent deal, the Chiefs landed Xavier Worthy in the first round of this 2024 NFL Draft after trading up to do so. A minor swap between the Buffalo Bills and the Chiefs allowed K.C. to climb up four spots to No. 28 overall to grab Worthy as the fifth wide receiver taken in his draft class.

While NFL history has not been so kind to those who are crowned winners of the NFL's annual scouting combine, no one was going to be able to stymie the buzz of a top-speed talent like Worthy joining forces with Patrick Mahomes and company.

Xavier Worthy's background and early career

Xavier Worthy was an instant splash coming into his freshman season at the University of Texas after earning national acclaim as a celebrated wideout in national rankings as a four-star recruit out of California. It didn't hurt that he also was a track star with exemplary speed.

Not only was he the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year in his first season with the Longhorns but he even made first-team All Big-12 overall with 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. In his first season alone, Worthy would match the Texas school record with 3 scores in a game on two separate occasions, showing just how much defenses needed to key in on him or else pay the price.

By his third and final season with the Longhorns, Worthy would prove to be a ifrst-team All-Big 12 performer as both a wideout and a returner and given his skill set and momentum, he decided to declare early for the NFL Draft to start his pro career as soon as possible. Despite playing only three years, Worthy is third in touchdowns, fourth in yards, and sixth in receptions on Texas all-time career lists.

Analyzing Xavier Worthy's 40-yard dash performance

The quarterbacks and wide receivers were among the last positions to run the 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis and Worthy was the final prospect to show off his skills in that entire group. Suffice it to say, despite the long day, Worthy had no problems turning heads with a record-setting performance.

Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross, who actually played for the Chiefs last offseason for a brief spell, set the record back in 2017 which propelled his draft stock to top ten showing (just before Patrick Mahomes was selected, by the way). Worthy broke that mark by a hair with a 4.21 second time.

Worthy's cleats from the event were donated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton—the only artifacts ever on display from the NFL Combine.

Where did Xavier Worthy's 40 time rank among wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Where does Xavier Worthy's 40 time rank among wide receivers in NFL history?

The fastest 40-yard dash times in NFL history