Chiefs rookie WR Xavier Worthy is exactly where he was meant to be

Months before the NFL Draft, Xavier Worthy’s mother, Nicky Jones, taught him how meditation, affirmation and manifestation could change his life. He didn't quite buy in — until recently. He wanted to be drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

That's when Worthy started the affirmation and manifestation in earnest, trying to will the match into existence. It almost went too far, according to Jones.

"He's like, ‘I'm going to the Chiefs. I'm going to the Chiefs,'" she said. "But it's like, ‘Xay, you've got to open your mind here. You literally could really go anywhere.'"

That was especially true after the Texans Longhorns went 12-2 and made the CFP semifinals, thanks in large part to Worthy, who topped 1,000 receiving yards and led the NCAA in punt-return yards. Then at the NFL Combine, he set a record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds. That got teams' attention.

But Worthy was interested in only one.

"He never wavered. It was the Chiefs," Jones said. "That's where he was going. And he went out and did his top 30 interviews and all the feedback was positive. He did his job. I know he wouldn't try to bomb any interviews. But he'd come back like, ‘I'm going to the Chiefs. That's where I'm going.'"

At a certain point, Jones had to buy in. She'd taught him these mental skills, after all.

On draft night, the family gathered at his place in Austin. The NFL had sent 32 hats, which Jones and her sister arranged on a table. But as they organized the rows, one hat didn’t fit just by coincidence. You can guess which one. So Jones and her sister — even though they knew it might look like Worthy was picking Kansas City — put that Chiefs hat right in the middle.

But then there was a scare; a moment when it seemed like fate might not