More Than Just Speed: Patrick Mahomes Explains What Makes Xavier Worthy Special

As Xavier Worthy prepares to make his Chiefs debut, Patrick Mahomes had high praise for the rookie wide receiver.

Jul 22, 2024; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) drops back to pass during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

When the Kansas City Chiefs face off with the Jacksonville Jaguars in Saturday night's preseason debut, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy will take the field as a Chief for the first time. After making plenty of training camp highlights with the rookie, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sounds ready to get Worthy on to the field for real (exhibition) game action.

On Wednesday, Mahomes discussed the downfield connection he's developing with Worthy and what makes the young pass-catcher special.

"Xavier does a great job," Mahomes said. "Obviously he's fast, but it's almost like he runs fast and he can run with pace fast, and so he's able to track the ball really well, he runs a lot of great routes, and he's going to get as physical a camp as any here, so he's been doing a great job trying to fight off press as best as he can, getting through there and making plays happen, and he'll keep getting better and better. I mean, if he can get through this camp, he'll be able to get through a lot of stuff, so I'm excited for him and how he's kind of progressed throughout camp."

Worthy's deep-ball tracking abilities have been one of the recurring positives out of Chiefs camp, particularly after the Chiefs have struggled to find consistent production out of the downfield passing game in their last two (Super Bowl-winning) seasons. Later in his media availability, Mahomes was asked what makes some receivers good at tracking the deep passes while others struggle with the challenge.

"It's hard, you're running full-speed trying to catch a football in the air and not knowing if you're going to get hit the moment you catch the football, it's [as] tough job as any in the world, because you can catch the ball and get your cleats knocked off of you," Mahomes said. "I commend those guys, man. It's hard to track a football running full-speed. The ball, I throw it high, throw it far. But I always let 'em know that I'm the best at tracking the football. I grew up shagging BP [batting practice], so I'm pretty nice at it myself, but I wasn't getting hit."

Patrick Mahomes, 5, shagging fly balls with Mike Hampton on Oct. 23, 2000, exactly one month before Tom Brady made his NFL debut.

This happened on a day off in the 2000 Subway World Series. The Yankees were up 2-0. pic.twitter.com/kp8a8FJb7p

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 7, 2021

Read More: How to Watch Chiefs vs. Jaguars: Preseason TV, Odds, Preview