The Kansas City Chiefs had two obvious needs to address in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, both of them relating to the happiness of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Would they take an offensive tackle to protect him?

Or would they take a wide receiver to make life easier for him?

Patrick Mahomes tweets after Chiefs take Xavier Worthy in NFL Draft

The Chiefs quarterback sent out two tweets after the pick: A smiley with sunglasses emoji and a running emoji.

He also retweeted teammate Drue Tranquill, who welcomed Worthy with a quote from Mahomes himself.

Mahomes was lacking reliable options at receiver in 2023. It’s a miracle he managed to eek a Super Bowl victory out of a receiving corps that became a running joke with dropped passes and costly penalties. Rashee Rice, the best of the bunch by far, is now in danger of an NFL suspension because of felony charges stemming from an offseason car crash.

So the Chiefs had to address the position in the draft and they went with a vertical threat.

In Worthy, Kansas City gets a burner who produced at the college level. The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder caught 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2021 and posted a career-high 1,014 yards on 75 catches in 2023.

Dan Brugler of The Athletic compared him to DeSean Jackson “if he hits,” but questioned if he has the necessary toughness or ball skills to reach that level. The Chiefs and Mahomes believe he can get there.