The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the 28th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday evening. Worthy, the fastest combine athlete in NFL history, looks to solidify an already explosive offense led by generational quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs traded up to select the Texas prospect by completing a deal with the Buffalo Bills in what would be considered a shocking move. The Bills are in need of a wide receiver with the loss of Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans via a trade this offseason and allowing Gabriel Davis to test free agency to reach the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Either way, lightning strikes twice as Worthy’s NFL comparison is Tyreek Hill, the former Chiefs receiver who smashed records and brought about a new way to play the game of offensive football. Hill is with the Miami Dolphins now and his departure has not slowed down the Chiefs as they won back-to-back Super Bowls for the first time since the 2003-2024 New England Patriots.

This offseason, the Chiefs organization added a veteran speedy receiver in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and I wrote an article about how he will be a dynamic playmaker with Mahomes leading the charge. With Worthy’s addition, the offense is even more explosive and one has to argue what measures can be put into place to slow down this offense in 2024.

Spreading the football around to a multitude of receivers has worked in the past for head coach Andy Reid and his Chiefs. The biggest positive with the Worthy selection is that his speed and quickness will put the opposing team’s defensive focus in zone coverage rather than man-to-man.

This approach is highly effective as Mahomes knows how to read the zones and execute at a high level. I always think about what Tom Brady did to the Steelers for many years with their fire zones and how Brady would just shred them and move right down the field. It wasn’t until Pittsburgh was able to apply consistent pressure up front and play man-to-man on the backend that they were able to defeat Brady and the Patriots.

The same recipe can occur in 2024 with the Chiefs – apply pressure up front at a consistent level, disguise your coverages by playing both zone and man-to-man with a two high safety shell for bracket coverage, and the results could ultimately slow down this explosive offense.

Worthy’s blazing speed and playmaking abilities will surely give defensive coordinators sleepless nights.