Fans hoped Worthy’s partnership with quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be magical for the Chiefs, but doubts have been raised about the 21-year-old, a first-round pick from the University of Texas.

Playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and winning a Super Bowl is likely to become an ambition for most NFL players in the future. But the relentless pressure placed upon rising stars such as Xavier Worthy is evident after his first few weeks in the orange uniform.

Andy Reid opted to make changes to his offense after their under-performing stars struggled in the end zone, bringing in Worthy and Hollywood Brown to add some depth to the WR position. Fans hoped Worthy’s partnership with quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be magical for the Chiefs, but doubts have been raised about the 21-year-old, a first-round pick from the University of Texas.

The Chiefs kicked off their three-day rookie minicamp on Saturday, May 4, with videos featuring the rookies from the team’s facility, and one piece of footage featuring Worthy in action has gone viral. The video clip, posted by NFL insider Dov Kleiman, shows Worthy practicing his running route before he turns back to catch the ball. However, the ball only touches his fingertips, resulting in an incomplete pass.

Kleinman suggested the youngster would be a “stud”, but NFL fans on social media had a different reaction. One replied describing him as “Kadarius Toney 2.0”, although it may be too early to make such a snap judgement. The fine line between success and failure in the NFL means that one player can be a hotshot one week and discarded the next, and Toney’s story offers a cautionary tale for Worthy to avoid.

The Chiefs declined to pick up Toney’s fifth-year option, making the upcoming season his final one under contract with the team. The decision comes after the 25-year-old failed to make an appearance in the postseason as the Chiefs won their back-to-back Super Bowls. Toney’s future with the team was called into question when he went on a furious rant on Instagram Live during the AFC Championship Game, appearing to accuse the Chiefs of lying about his injury. He was subsequently inactive for the Super Bowl win over the 49ers, although he did celebrate with teammates afterward.