'Perfect Fit!' Texas Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian Reacts to Kansas City Chiefs Picking Xavier Worthy

Steve Sarkisian raved about about the Chiefs decision to pick Texas receiver Xavier Worthy.

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) and Oklahoma State / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy took the NFL world by storm when he broke the NFL Combine record for 40 times with a 4.21 official 40-yard dash.

As a result, Worthy skyrocketed in his NFL Draft projections, moving all the way up to a first-round prospect, and one of the top-20 players on the board for most mock draft experts.

On Thursday night, those projections came to fruition, with the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs trading up and selecting Worthy with the No. 28 overall pick in Round 1.

Now, Worthy will go from catching passes from Quinn Ewers, to one of the best in NFL history in Patrick Mahomes - a fit that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian believes could not be better for his long-time No. 1 receiver.

Dec 2, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) and Oklahoma State / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

“Xavier is a perfect fit in that explosive Chiefs offense,” said Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.” He obviously has electric, world-class speed and clearly is a threat to go the distance any time he touches the ball, but he probably plays with more toughness than people give him credit for. He’s got the plethora of the route tree he can run, really understands coverages, is a highly intelligent football player, and can absolutely run all day... He made big plays, critical catches, was a much-improved blocker, and just did it all for us every time out."

Speed was obviously the defining trait that led to Worthy's rise up draft boards in recent months.

However, he was always much more than that for the Texas offense. Not only did he take the top off of the defense for the Longhorns, but he was also a tremendous route runner, a top-notch competitor, and one of the best punt returners in college football.

In fact, in his three seasons at Texas14 yards a catch, hauling in 197 catches for 2,755 yards (67.2 yards per game) and 26 touchdowns. He also averaged 17 yards per pun return in 2023, running one back for a score.

And according to Sarkisian, those are all traits that Worthy can excel at with the Chiefs at the NFL level.

“It goes without saying, the speed is real and will make a big-time difference in the NFL," Sarkisian said. "He has the ability to take the top off the defense, but he’s much more than that. He has tremendous route-running ability and is a tireless worker at that. He has a very high football IQ and is extremely competitive. He gives you flexibility in the punt return game because he was a gamebreaker in that area, too. X is going to be an outstanding pro in every way, and Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the two-time Super Bowl Champions got them a great player and person. I’m so fired up to watch him in the NFL, he’s got a great career ahead of him and is in an awesome place for his skill set.”

Worthy was the second and final Longhorn taken off of the board on Thursday night, with Adonai Mitchell, Jonathon Brooks, Ja'Tavion Sanders, T'Vondre Sweat, Jordan Whittington, Christian Jones, Jaylon Ford, Keilan Robinson, Ryan Watts, Ryan Sandborn, and Jett Bush all hoping to hear their names called over the next two days.