Would Texas Speedster Be Worthy of Dolphins' First Pick?

The Miami Dolphins already have the fastest wide receiver duo in the NFL, so Xavier Worthy would fit right in

Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy / Ricardo B. Brazziell / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's not exactly a big secret that Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel likes speed.

He's already got the fastest offense in the NFL thanks to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane, but is it possible that's still not enough for him?

There's a reason the name Xavier Worthy has been floated as a possibility for the Dolphins in the 2024 NFL draft, and it's a result of him setting a combine record in the 40-yard dash this year with a time of 4.21.

We've all seen the pictures of McDaniel talking to Worthy at the Texas Pro Day when McDaniel was part of the Dolphins contingent on hand — to be fair, the Longhorns have a lot of high-end prospects in the draft.

#Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel met Texas WR Xavier Worthy today at his Pro Day. The look on his face says it all…

Worthy broke the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record with a 4.21.

(📸 @HankSouth247) pic.twitter.com/nU0AfN4GaF

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 20, 2024

The Dolphins have a need at wide receiver because they're a bit thin at the position to complement Hill and Waddle, but they also have other needs throughout the roster, needs that frankly probably are more pressing.

But this is where we'll point out that the Dolphins didn't really have a major need at running back last year after re-signing their four veterans in free agency, and yet they still used their second of only four 2023 picks on Achane from Texas A&M. And the reason they did that was because Achane could be special because of his speed.

In the short term, Worthy could make the Dolphins' already fast offense even faster; in the longer term, he eventually could replace Hill to still give Miami two road runners at wide receiver.

The idea of the Dolphins taking Worthy in the draft was among the nuggets provided by SI NFL reporter Albert Breer on Monday: "One name I’ve heard circled for Miami from other teams is Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who would add even more speed to the offense, and perhaps give the team an off-ramp with Tyreek Hill over the next year or two."

WHERE AND WHEN WILL WORTHY GET DRAFTED?

Worthy, who NFL Network draft analyst has compared to Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, is among seven wide receivers considered possible or probable first-round picks — a group that includes his college teammate Adonai Mitchell.

At 5-11, 165, Worthy won't provide the size that would make a nice complement to Hill and Waddle, but he is the fastest of the group and his speed is why he could go in the first round.

Worthy very likely will be on the board at number 21, so the Dolphins probably could get him there if they wanted. It's also possible they could get him later in the first round after trading down a half-dozen spots or so to pick up maybe a third- or fourth-round pick.

Or the Dolphins conceivably could make another pick at number 21, then move back into the first round (or early in the second round at worst) to get Worthy because he's not likely at all to be available at number 55, which is where Miami's second-round pick is scheduled to be.

The bottom line is that Worthy most definitely is a name to watch for the Dolphins, even though prospects like Barton, Verse, Latu, Murphy, Guyton, Powers-Johnson or others might fill more pressing needs right now.