In his first year as a pro, Xavier Worthy has proved himself to be a championship-caliber player. But on draft night, the former Longhorns player got overlooked, even passed over by the Indianapolis Colts. Worthy had run the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but apparently, it wasn’t enough.
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The rookie shared this story on the latest episode of Rich Eisen Show. He had organized the draft party with his family in the Hills of West Lake, Austin, Texas. Like most prospects, Worthy also envisioned getting picked a bit early. But his name wasn’t getting called, and teams that showed a bit of interest started selecting other players. One of them was the Colts.
Interestingly, though, the Colts had reached out to Worthy via phone. The person who called him even introduced himself as someone representing the team. However, as Worthy described, they “hung up the phone in my face.”
“Draft day was crazy. I had got a call at like [No.] 15-16,” shared Worthy. “I think it was the Indianapolis Colts—hung up the phone in my face. It was a little crazy… They said, ‘Hello, this is so and so with the Colts,’ and then they stopped talking, and they hung up.”
The Colts might have had a change of heart at the last moment. Instead of Worthy, they picked Laiatu Latu at 15, who has already become a crucial part of the defensive line. The call could have been a prank too, as that’s become a common theme on draft day.
Luckily, the Kansas City Chiefs saw potential in the 21-year-old receiver. They gave up a little bit of draft capital moved up the board, and then selected Worthy with their 28th overall pick.
At first, though, even the Chiefs didn’t seem too interested in drafting the star wideout. “I heard probably more from other teams. I never really heard from Chiefs like that,” Worthy said during the interview.
Xavier Worthy said the Indianapolis Colts called him on draft night, then they immediately hung up the phone on him.
: The Rich Eisen Show pic.twitter.com/PQeGIrM3cm
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) October 31, 2024
The rookie got a call from GM Brett Veach on draft day, and the rest, as they say, is history. That said, while Worthy has been balling out each week with the Chiefs, many haven’t forgiven the Buffalo Bills for passing up on him.
Xavier Worthy’s draft after Chiefs’ trade
When the Bills traded down to the 32nd pick, handing the 28th to their AFC rivals, fans were frustrated, to say the least. The Chiefs got to add another weapon to their arsenal with their new 28th pick in hopes of developing another Tyreek Hill for their crew. The Bills, on the other hand, drafted WR Keon Coleman in the second round after trading down one more slot with the Panthers.
Given that Worthy has shown exceptional talent on the field in his first season, the Bills’ decision to trade down soon became a hot topic. Many critiqued the team for giving away an upgrade to their biggest AFC rivals, who have been struggling in their receiver room ever since Hill left for Miami.
Some also argue that the Chiefs wouldn’t have gone for a receiver with their 32nd pick if the Bills didn’t trade down. Worthy has 19 receptions for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns to his name already. That too, in just 4 games. Coleman, on the other hand, tallied his three touchdowns in 8 games (7 starts).
