Chiefs Land Perfect Playmaker in Mel Kiper's Latest Mock Draft

As a fan, it's easy to get overly excited with playmaking prospects ahead of the NFL Draft. Who doesn't want to see their team take a star wide receiver? Reality doesn't always end up as fun as that speculation though, and mock drafts from insiders tend to dump cold water on some of the excitement.

That's not the case for Chiefs fans with Mel Kiper's latest mock draft on ESPN (paywall), however.

Kiper, a long-standing draft insider, is with the fans here. The Chiefs absolutely must add more playmaking with the final pick of Round 1.

Chiefs Mock Draft: Kiper Projects Xavier Worthy in Round 1

Mel Kiper's latest mock draft has the Kansas City Chiefs selecting Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the No. 32 overall pick.

The fit makes sense beyond a base level "the Chiefs need wide receiver help" too. Kiper admits that Worthy's history of drops will worry Chiefs fans, but his upside and fit is just too good to ignore.

Worthy is incredible with the ball in his hands, having averaged 7.6 yards after catch (YAC) per reception in 2023. Looking at Pro Football Focus' breakdown of what he did with different types of targets, his playmaking stands out even further:

When catching the ball behind the line of scrimmage, Worthy still averaged 7.1 yards per reception. In his best collegiate season (2021) that mark was all the way up at 8.2.

He's been much better on screens and short passes than as a deep route-runner, so he won't slot in as a Marquez Valdes-Scantling replacement anytime soon, but few coaches use short-yardage receivers more effectively than Andy Reid.

Drafting Worthy would also mean getting to say goodbye to Kadarius Toney, who failed to fill the role that Worthy would be selected for.

Every fan wants their team to draft a fun playmaker, but for the Chiefs that could be a reality.

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