In his latest mock draft for ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. has the Pittsburgh Steelers adding a big-time playmaker at wide receiver in LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., giving Pittsburgh another physical weapon through the air.
But in the days removed from publishing his latest mock draft, Kiper is having second thoughts and might be looking in another direction at No. 20 overall in the mock.
That direction? Well, it stays at wide receiver, but heads in the direction of Texas speedster Xavier Worthy.
On the latest episode of the “First Draft” podcast with host Field Yates, Kiper made the case for Worthy to be the pick at No. 20 overall, adding a true home-run element to the Steelers’ offense.
“I thought about Xavier Worthy here, ’cause you have [George] Pickens, and you add Worthy, you have 4.21 speed who’s dynamic and I know you, Field. You’ll screamed at me, ‘he’s 165 pounds, Mel!’ I get it. But he’s a heck of a player and guess what? He’s a tough kid,” Kiper said making the case for Worthy as a selection for the Steelers at No. 20 overall. “He’s not just a track guy with speed and all that. He’s a football player. And I think it’s gonna be tough for Mike Tomlin knowing that, to bypass that…to not take Xavier Worthy. But Brian Thomas Jr. is a talent who averaged 17 yards per catch, 17 touchdowns.
“Will he be there? If he is, will it be Tampa Bay? It seems like they could go wide receiver. It’s gonna be interesting to see. But Xavier Worthy, I didn’t feel good at pushing him down past this pick. I had it scratched, it went to Brian Thomas Jr., so Worthy, to me, has to be in the discussion. When you’re that fast, you’re that good. Wasn’t just like he was a speed guy. He was a heck of player at Texas.”
The Steelers, after trading away wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a pick swap, have a glaring hole at receiver. The Steelers have been connected to names like Tyler Boyd, Josh Reynolds and even Brandon Aiyuk via trade or free agency, but the team and GM Omar Khan have yet to make a move to plug the hole at receiver.
Plugging that hole at receiver could come via the draft, and one of those guys could be Worthy.
The Steelers have shown some interest in Worthy. New wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was at Texas’ Pro Day Wednesday and met “extensively” with Worthy, according to NFL insider Tony Pauline.
Worthy put the league on notice running an NFL Combine record 4.21 40-yard dash. Though he’s a speed merchant, Worthy checked in at the Combine at just 165 pounds, but then weighed in at 169 pounds at the Pro Day. He’s a bit small, but he’s produced consistently in college.
Last season at Texas, Worthy started all 14 games for the Longhorns and totaled 75 receptions for 1,014 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He also had a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown for Texas last season.
In his scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter gave Worthy a grade of 8.3 in the second round, comparing him to Houston Texans’ receiver Tank Dell.
“Xavier Worthy is a dynamic, explosive receiver who will thrive in an open aerial attack at the next level. His size may make teams apprehensive about playing him on the outside, but he logged a 37.7 slot percentage and a 62.1 out wide percentage, suggesting he can do both if asked to do so. He will provide a deep threat who can also hurt opposing defenses in the screen game as well with his speed after the catch. Combining athleticism with savvy route running savvy, he is a legit threat in all quadrants of the field.”
The Steelers have clear interest in Worthy, and after he lit up the Combine, he could be a dynamic downfield weapon to add to the offense under coordinator Arthur Smith, giving new quarterback Russell Wilson that true deep-ball threat to take the top off of defenses.
