Chiefs Trade With Bills, Select 40-Yard Dash Record-Holder At No. 28 Overall

The last time the Kansas City Chiefs moved up in the first round of the NFL Draft at the Buffalo Bills’ expense, they netted a man whose greatness parallels that of Joe Montana. Does that mean their latest conquest will replicate the feats of Jerry Rice?

At No. 28 overall, after jumping four spots in a trade with the Bills, the Chiefs selected Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who broke the NFL Scouting Combine’s 40-yard dash record in early March.

Kansas City and Buffalo exchanged three picks apiece in the deal, which allowed Brett Veach to get his hands on a truly dynamic, versatile chess piece for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. The back-to-back champions will now have multiple quality receivers next season in Worthy and free agent signee Marquise “Hollywood” Brown regardless of how Rashee Rice’s pending legal situation turns out.

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Buffalo Did Not Pick In The First Round

The Bills traded back not once, but twice

General manager Brandon Beane expressed concern about potentially sacrificing a future first-round pick to acquire one of the draft’s top-three receiving prospects last week, so seeing him hang onto his 2025 selections wasn’t surprising. However, allowing the team’s biggest rival to obtain the player they valued most with their original pick as they did was quite shocking, especially when you consider their own positional needs.

Worthy was GIVEMESPORT’s projected first-rounder for the Bills throughout the offseason. His fit in Buffalo’s scheme, with Josh Allen’s rocket-launching arm and only Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel as established weapons, made a ton of sense. Now, they will be forced to wonder what could have been while trying to supplant the Chiefs as AFC champions.

To make matters worse, the Bills essentially doubled down on their decision moments later when they flipped the 32nd-overall selection to the Carolina Panthers and fell out of the first round entirely. New GM Dan Morgan ripped another wide receiver, Xavier Leggette, out from right under their noses just as ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Louis Riddick were gushing about his sky-high potential inside Buffalo’s offense.

Beane appears to be taking a quantitative approach to replacing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. A number of intriguing options, such as Worthy’s college teammate Adonai Mitchell and Georgia’s Ladd McConkey, remain ripe for picking atop the second round. Adding one or two receivers on day two while utilizing the additional picks they procured will go down as smart business, if they contribute right away.

After claiming the team did not need a true No. 1 wideout to have success next season, indications are that Buffalo won’t have one. If Worthy flames out of the league, they can tell everyone “I told you so”. But if he only widens Kansas City’s Super Bowl window and helps them dominate to an even greater extent, they’ll have repeated history and have no one to blame but themselves.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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