NFL Draft Position Betting: Is Xavier Worthy Going to Be a First-Round Pick?

We're just a few days away from the NFL Draft, and it's likely to be an exciting one. That's especially true if you like talented wide receivers.

While we expect three receivers to go in the top 10 picks, there are some WRs expected to go in the back half of the draft that are really intriguing prospects. That includes Xavier Worthy, who'll we will take a closer look at here.

Worthy is a total burner from the Texas Longhorns, and could be drafted by a team who needs game-breaking speed. On FanDuel Sportsbook, the current NFL Draft odds set the line at 31.5. for him.

NFL Draft Odds

Xavier Worthy Draft Position Over/Under

Why Xavier Worthy Could Go Before Pick 31.5 (-114)

The headline with Worthy is his performance at the NFL combine. He set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash, running it in a blazing 4.21 seconds.

This isn't the only appealing aspect of Worthy's profile. His production at Texas was also solid throughout his three seasons.

His freshman season saw him catch 62 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was considered his breakout year, and breaking out at the young age of 18.4 puts him in the 97th percentile for wide receivers, according to PlayerProfiler.com.

He topped out at 75 catches and 1014 yards in his junior season, his final one before he declared for the NFL Draft. In that junior year, he had a 25.5% target share while playing with another potential first-round pick, Adonai Mitchell. Overall, Worthy had a target share of 27.8% across his three seasons, which ranks in the 84th percentile.

These numbers show that Worthy isn't just a burner but an actual wide receiver who can win in different ways. He's compared to someone like John Ross, who previously had the 40-yard dash record. Ross had just one season of noteworthy production in college, and Worthy had three in a better conference.

That 4.21 40 is likely to stand out to some teams, and it's easy to see Worthy going in the first round. That's essentially all he has to do to cash this bet. The data from GrindingTheMocks.com has Worthy going slightly ahead of this on average, at 31.3.

There's also a special on FanDuel Sportsbook that offers +130 on Worthy to go ahead of Mitchell. Mitchell is a good prospect in his own right but has his own flaws. If I like Worthy to go before pick 31, I'd also consider taking that special.

Why Xavier Worthy Could Go After Pick 31.5 (-114)

Worthy's speed makes him a good target for a team needing a wide receiver. There are a good amount of wide receivers out there however, and Worthy may get lost in the shuffle.

The main knock on Worthy has to be his size. He measured in at the combine at 5'11" and just 165 pounds. We rarely see wide receivers at that size have success in the NFL. There are other fast wide receivers like Mitchell, Brian Thomas, and Xavier Legette who combine good speed with size above 6-foot tall.

Because of this size, teams might view Worthy as a one-trick pony. A player who had success with this type of athletic profile was DeSean Jackson. Jackson was mostly known to just run go routes. There is a lot of evidence that Worthy can do more than that, but he may be typecast as that kind of player.

While most prognosticators have Worthy close to the first round, PFF has him way outside their top-32 players. They have him all the way down at number 69 on their big board. That's the WR14 overall. That is interesting to note considering how influential -- and at times extremely accurate -- PFF data can be.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.