Chiefs position review: Wide receiver
How long will Veach wait in this week's draft to address wide receiver?
[Editor’s note: KC Sports Network writers Herbie Teope and Tyler Brown look at the Chiefs’ position groups on both sides of the ball with a series of articles ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.]
On paper, the Chiefs have the most talented wide receiving corps that they have had in recent memory. Sure, it is nearly identical to week one of training camp 2024, sans Mecole Hardman and they no longer have their mid-season acquisition, DeAndre Hopkins, but there is reason for more optimism.
For one, Xavier Worthy has proven he is a contributor in the National Football League, with the arrow still pointing up. He finished the season with 638 yards as a rookie, but 392 of them came in the last seven regular season games.
He also showed a knack for scoring touchdowns with an innate ability to burst into the endzone when he gets near it. He finished with a final tally of six receiving and three rushing.
Perhaps the most exciting development came in the Super Bowl debacle though. While the game was lowly, Worthy caught eight balls on eight targets for 157 yards. Something he struggled with early in the season was hauling in balls in the vertical game but against the Eagles he brought in a 24-yard touchdown and a 50-yarder.
Secondly, Rashee Rice seems to be recovering well from his week four injury. It is easy to forget that he was leading the NFL in receiving across the first three games of the season. The only caveat there is he could be charged with a suspension to start the season given his busy 2024 offseason.
After a stellar rookie season, Rice seemed to be taking yet another step forward in his sophomore campaign. Whether he is there to start the season or not, Worthy and Rice make a formidable one-two punch.
Then there is the guy who was tabbed as the potential number one option just a season ago. Hollywood Brown is back again on a one-year deal and while expectations may be lower this season, there is no doubt he is as talented of a wide receiver-three as they come.
Beyond those three, JuJu Smith-Schuster is back as their best run-blocker and potential Rice backup plan. Nikko Remigio seems to have solidified himself as the teams kick returner and final wide out on the roster. Other camp bodies vying for a roster spot will be Skyy Moore, Tyquan Thornton, Justyn Ross and Jason Brownlee.
OUTLOOK
While all three of Worthy, Rice and Brown thrive in the middle of the field, al three also have positional versatility. If you think about how head coach Andy Reid has used X receivers like Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Justin Watson in the past, Brown and Worthy are capable of running a vertical route tree alike.
Rice offers the size of a traditional X wide receiver, so he could fill in there as well, even if he does his best work out of the slot. This puts the Chiefs in an advantageous position heading into the 2025 draft because while the could use a more traditional X the most, they really can draft the wide out that fits their scheme the best no matter where that comes.
It is unclear if general manager Brett Veach will draft a wide receiver high, such as Missouri Tiger Luther Burden, but I imagine they do take one at some point. Burden does most of his work along the inside as well, but he has the size, speed and ball skills to be an outside threat. He has the best YAC ability in this class, however. Veach deemed O-line, D-line, corner and receivers as needs last week, stating they will see “how it shakes out” at 31 concerning those needs.
The main reason they will take a look at receiver is Brown is on a one-year deal, so if he does show out this season, it is likely he prices himself outside of Kansas City. On top of that, Rice has not exactly been the most trusting pro. Worthy also has a slight frame also, although he has been remarkably healthy going back to his college days at Texas.
This is not the deepest wide receiver class compared to years past, so if the Chiefs do what is expected and draft in the trenches in round one, a wide receiver is most likely to be taken at pick 63, 66, 95 or 133. A lot of that will depend on where they value running back versus wide receiver.
With it being a deep running back class, they may choose to go wide receiver at 63 or 66. If that is the case, they could be looking at guys like Utah State’s Jalen Royals, Ole Miss’ Tre Harris, Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor or TCU’s Jack Bech. All of these options would offer size Kansas City does not currently posses, too.
If they choose to wait a bit longer, they may turn to Arkansas’ Isaac Teslaa or Colorado State’s Tory Horton. If they want a six-foot-five speedster, there is a chance Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr. and his 4.30 speed could fall to one of their seventh round picks. Regardless of their 2025 need, they could stand to add to their 2026 list of contributing weapons.
