Xavier Worthy was one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class. However, he ended up falling all the way to No. 28 before the Kansas City Chiefs ended his slide. One year later, he is one of the lead receivers in Andy Reid's offensive scheme. However, the Indianapolis Colts and general manager Chris Ballard nearly picked him at No. 15 instead of Laiatu Latu.
Worthy was the fifth receiver taken off the board in the first round of last year's draft. With names like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers off the board, Ballard has few options at wide receiver. However, he decided that the Colts needed another edge rusher and went with Latu. Looking back, taking a player like Worthy or Brian Thomas Jr. would have been a better call.
Looking back on the draft is an interesting exercise for general managers around the NFL. However, it is also motivation for players who felt disrespected by the teams that passed on them on draft night. Worthy is one of those players, according to him. He appeared on The Pivot podcast and spoke about the fact that Ballard abruptly ended a phone call with him during the draft.
“The draft comes around and the crazy part is I got a call at fifteen to the Colts,” Worthy said. “They hung up on my face. They called me, talked to me and said this is so and so from the Colts, GM of the Colts. It got quiet and he hung up. That’s when I knew I was going to KC.”
The Colts passed on Worthy, leaving him on the board for Kansas City at the end of the first round. So far, the partnership has born fruit, punctuated by a great performance from the Chiefs' rookie in the Super Bowl, even if his team lost. Worthy has a chance to get revenge on Ballard and the Colts in Week 12 this season.
