Some potential third WR options emerge
Texas speedster Xavier Worthy heads to Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — Since Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy was 5 years old, former Eagles star wideout DeSean Jackson was his idol.
Like Jackson, Worthy has exceptional speed, as he is one of the most explosive receivers in the 2024 NFL draft class. The first impactful moment of his college career came on a bubble screen when he turned up the sideline as a true freshman two years ago, scoring a 75-yard touchdown in the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma.
Worthy, a Fresno, California native, has plenty of buzz heading into combine testing Saturday, with a goal of breaking John Ross’ 40-yard dash record (4.22 seconds) set in 2017.
“I feel like a lot of receivers with my speed don’t have the ability to stop [on a dime] how I do,” Worthy told reporters Friday. “When I leave interviews [with teams], I want them to kind of see how smart I am. I feel like I have a really high football IQ, so I want to just leave that impression on them.”
Besides having Jackson as his idol, the junior revealed he had a meeting with the Eagles this week at the combine. Listed at 6-foot-1, 172 pounds, Worthy is on the smaller side for a wide receiver, but his game-changing speed would give the Eagles a dynamic vertical threat to play alongside their star duo of DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown.
The Texas wideout finished with a career best 75 catches, 1,071 receiving yards (571 coming after the catch), and five touchdowns in 2023. He improved his drop percentage from over 10 percent in 2022 to just over six percent in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus and he has experience as a returner, scoring a 75-yard punt return during the season.
With plans to just run the 40-yard dash, participate in the broad jump and vertical jump testing, Worthy could improve his Day 2 stock in the draft, and has no concerns about his slight frame translating to the NFL.
“I feel like my weight is clearly not a problem,” Worthy said. “I feel like just being stronger in the weight room, being durable, I feel like that would be the biggest thing for me.”
On top of adding a dynamic third receiver, Worthy isn’t the only option the Eagles have shown interest in. Florida’s Ricky Pearsall is another wideout the Eagles met with at the Senior Bowl and have plans to meet with again at the combine.
Measuring in at the Senior Bowl at 6-foot, 197 pounds, Pearsall is a route-running technician who excels at finding open space to sit in zone coverage and has toughness to catch passes over the middle of the field. Of his 65 catches in 2023, 41 (63.1%) of his them were for firstdowns, according to PFF, and dropped just two passes in 2023. What stands out most about Pearsall is his blocking ability, something he takes pride in doing to spring big runs.
“Having those guys in the locker room and developing relationships with them each and every day, I think that helped motivate me to block harder out there for them,” Pearsall said. “I’m a student of the game, I’ve been able to go in [to meetings] and I can identify certain things and go over film with them… we’re just talking football, so it comes simple to me.”
Starting his career at Arizona State, Pearsall played with projected top-three pick Jayden Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy at LSU this season, and 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in 2020 and 2021. Over his last two seasons at Florida, Pearsall has scored 12 touchdowns (nine receiving, three rushing) while averaging 16.6 yards per catch.
While Worthy and Pearsall are mid-round options for the Eagles, taking a wide receiver in the later rounds could be in their plans if they decide to spend early-round picks improving the defense. A player to keep an eye on is Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk, one of three wide receivers from the program participating in the NFL combine. Rome Odunze, a projected top-10 pick, and Jalen McMillanseem to be catching more buzz than Polk currently.
A player we mentioned as one to watch ahead of the College Football Playoff championship game, Polk, 6-2, 204 pounds, has excellent body control and concentration to make contested catches in the intermediate and vertical passing games. Of his 760 offensive snaps this season, 278 have come from the slot, according to PFF, showcasing his inside-out ability. Polk says it’s what separates himself from other receiver prospects.
“I can go both ways, so I’ve been letting teams know that I can do that and have that mindset to where you can put me inside or outside will give me a better opportunity to get out there on the field,” Polk said.