2024 Rams mock draft: Rams land elite CB and 2 vets in first mock of 2024

Round 2 - A Worthy receiver

With the 52nd pick, the LA Rams select WR Xavier Worthy, Texas. The Rams discovered what a difference a strong handed, passionate receiver can make in the Rams offense, and with the risk of losing veteran WR Demarcus Robinson to the 2024 NFL Free Agency market, and with the diminishing production of veteran WR Cooper Kupp, it will be next to impossible to persuade LA Rams GM Les Snead not to gift Rams HC Sean McVay an elite offensive weapon to play with in 2024.

Standing 6-foot-1 while weighing 172 pounds, Worthy is a speedy wide receiver who can stretch the field, but who also commands a robust route tree that will surely attract the attention of the LA Rams. He possesses strong hands, loves to set up defensive backs throughout a game with fakes, double moves, and simply by blowing past them as he kicks in his afterburner.

He is an amazingly productive receiver in the Texas offense, and he has undoubtedly added to the NFL's interest in his quarterback, Quinn Ewers. Unfortunately for eager NFL scouts and GMs, Ewers will not follow Worthy to the NFL.

The most obvious drawback to Xavier Worthy in the 2024 NFL Draft is his weight and physique. If he was 30 pounds heavier, with the same speed and production, he could arguably be one of the first 14 players selected in this draft. But with so many quality prospects, and so many potentially elite quarterback prospects available in this class, Worthy falls to the Rams at 52.

He will need to prioritize hitting the weight room to build muscle mass to be a more effective blocker, and will undoubtedly be limited in the Rams offense until he masters blocking and can prove to be versatile enough to earn playing time. That did not make the Rams hesitate when the team selected WR Tutu Atwell, and I believe that the Rams will view Worthy as an eventual replacement to Atwell, with the added bonus of upgrade route running and height.