Xavier Worthy goes to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 28 as two-time defending champs fill their hole at receiver at 2024 NFL Draft with speedy Texas star... and give Patrick Mahomes a new weapon alongside Travis Kelce

The two-time defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs may have finally addressed their hole at wide receiver with by taking speedy Texas’ Xavier Worthy with the No. 28 pick at Thursday’s NFL Draft in Detroit.

The Chiefs were supposed to pick last in the first round after winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, but they managed to make a trade with one of their biggest AFC rivals in Buffalo. The Chiefs sent the No. 32 pick, along with a fourth-rounder and seventh-rounder, to the Bills for No. 28, a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder. 

The addition at Worthy comes at a key time in Kansas City with Rashee Rice facing felony charges in an alleged hit-and-run crash in the Dallas area. 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught the game-winning touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, has been released.

Kadarius Toney, meanwhile, was benched for the final three weeks of the 2023 season and still might not be in the team’s future plans.

Xavier Worthy made news at the pre-draft combine by running 4.21-second 40-yard dash 

Texas' Xavier Worthy makes a catch while covered by Washington cornerback Elijah Jackson

Kansas City Chiefs fans hold up a Travis Kelce cutout at the NFL Draft in Detroit on Thursday 

Travis Kelce, left, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes - two of Worthy's new teammates

Worthy broke the NFL combine record when he ran a 4.21-second 40-yard dash, exhibiting the kind of raw speed that Kansas City once enjoyed with Tyreek Hill on the roster. 

But Worthy is more than just a deep threat, showing promise as a route runner and cutting down on the number of drops last season, when he caught 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five TDs.

The Chiefs were in the market for a wide receiver even before Rice was arrested following a high-speed sports car crash in Texas in which several people were hurt. 

The second-year pro is facing charges that include one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury. He has been released on bond.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid has said that Rice would continue to attend offseason meetings while his legal situation plays out.