Rams can’t repeat past mistakes and must avoid this speedy wide receiver in the draft

Rams can’t make a similar mistake and draft Xavier Worthy because of his speed

When it comes to wide receivers in the NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams manager Les Snead tends to get attracted to speed. The Rams could be in the market for a wide receiver, especially on day one or day two of the draft. After Texas’ Xavier Worthy had a record-breaking 40-time at the NFL Combine, it wouldn’t be a surprise if that caught the attention of Snead and head coach Sean McVay.

In 2013, Tavon Austin was one of the most highly-touted wide receivers in the class, but was still seen as a late first-round pick. However, after an unofficial 4.25 second 40 that was adjusted to a 4.34 official time, it solidified Austin in the first-round. Snead ended up trading into the top-10 to take Austin who was likely overdraft and didn’t live up to the expectations of a top-10 pick.

Eight years later, TuTu Atwell ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, but there were reports that he ran in the high 4.2s the previous year. Atwell went from a potential 4th-5th round draft pick to being taken in the second-round and once again overdrafted by Snead. Like Austin, Atwell has shown flashes but hasn’t lived up to his draft status.

As the Rams have learned, speed isn’t everything. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua each recorded faster game speeds that times in shorts at the Combine at their Pro Days. Still the 40 seems to being something that teams, and the Rams, still somewhat pay attention to at the position.

Still, when it comes to prospects like Worthy, the Rams have had enough experience with these types of players to no better at this point. Austin’s speed fooled the Rams once while they made the same mistake with Atwell, ignoring his small size in favor of his play-making ability. To do so again would be confusing to say the least given their past experiences. As Matt Harmon of Reception Perception said,

“In addition to his blazing 40 time, the other notable number from Worthy’s combine was his 165 pound weigh-in. That immediately sends up alarm bells that he may need a hyper-specific role…Worthy’s metrics do indeed point to a guy who will need some level of role catering…When the DB engages the battle first, Worthy can struggle. At his size, he’ll need to be a master technician and/or the most aggressive player off the line. He is neither at this moment…Issues with contact come up in other areas. While he can rip apart bad angles with his juice in the open field, he can be brought down in close quarters by oncoming defenders or arm tackles right before he’s about to break a big play…It would be foolish to ignore some of the clear issues in his film in favor of chasing the elusive dream of speed.”

While Worthy is taller than Atwell and Austin, he still has a very slim frame at 165-pounds. As Harmon states, that slim frame does show up on film. However, Worthy could remind McVay of a past receiver that he’s had success with as well. Worthy is getting some pre-draft comparisons to DeSean Jackson.

Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Pros made this comparison saying,

“Worthy is more reminiscent of DeSean Jackson, and, more recently, Hollywood Brown and Tank Dell. He is a slippery burner with natural separation skills. The athleticism and lightning-quick feet make him extremely difficult to stay within space.”

Both were smaller in size coming out with Jackson at 169-pounds and Worthy at 165-pounds. It’s also worth noting that Worthy said at the Combine that he idolized Jackson growing up.

Jackson joined the Rams for a short period in 2021 during the Super Bowl run and also went over 1,000 yards twice in three years in Washington with Sean McVay as the offensive coordinator from 2014 to 2016. Those DeSean Jackson flashbacks could be enough for McVay to really push for Worthy on draft night.

This is a type of player that McVay has struggled at time to integrate into his offense. Despite Atwell getting more involved and making plays in the offense this past season, he was quickly replaced by Demarcus Robinson in the middle of the season. While Worthy is taller than Atwell, he still doesn’t have the larger frame that someone like Robinson or even Odell Beckham Jr. brought to the table. It doesn’t help that Snead’s son plays for Texas.

Taking a player like Worthy who brings the explosiveness and play-making ability will be tempting. However, it’s something that Snead and the Rams would be better learning from past mistakes and avoiding altogether.