As Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy’s training camp unfolded, he was often the talk of the town. The fastest player in NFL Scouting Combine history made blistering play after blistering play in training camp, and his speed — combined with Patrick Mahomes’ right arm — made for a dangerous combination.

Worthy quickly went viral this summer for a different reason, however, when a workout clip surfaced showing the rookie wide receiver struggling with the press attention.

For young receivers, adjusting to the physical nature of NFL cornerbacks is part of the learning curve. Between Worthy and second-year WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City has a pair of young WRs working through that process. That adjustment is even harder for smaller receivers like Worthy, who is listed as 5’11 and 165 pounds.

However, on opening night against the Baltimore Ravens, the young duo put up big numbers. Worthy caught a pair of passes for 47 yards and a touchdown — and added a rushing touchdown on an end around — while Rice hauled in a team-high seven passes for 103 yards.

Part of the reason for their success? How Kansas City head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy aligned the two receivers, giving them some free releases off the line of scrimmage.

Take Mahomes’ first completion of the year, this 11-yard completion on a slant route to Rice:

Rice is at the top of the screen, in a stack with Worthy. Worthy is on the line of scrimmage while Rice is off the line, just outside his teammate’s lineup. Opposite Worthy is Marlon Humphrey, a veteran cornerback and one of the best players in the game.

Worthy and Rice run a switch slant/flat concept, with Worthy breaking outside and Rice cutting inside. Humphrey is tasked with covering Rice on the in-breaking route, but with Worthy’s positioning and release creating some traffic, Humphrey is unable to get Rice off the line and the second-year WR has the immediate advantage.

Here’s another example from Thursday night. This time, Rice is part of a three-receiver group and starts the play aligned inside Worthy and Justin Watson. But just before the snap, he gestures to an outside alignment.

As the play opens, both Worthy and Watson release vertically, creating a sort of “shield” as Rice cuts underneath on a shallow crosser. He’s paired with Roquan Smith, and while the linebacker is athletic, giving Rice a free release – and a head start – is a huge advantage for the receiver:

Kansas City used a similar design for one of Worthy’s receptions, this 12-yard completion on a shallow crossing route in the second quarter. He starts lined up outside Watson and Rice, and as they release vertically, he comes down the field below them:

Baltimore has defenseman Brandon Stephens covering Rice, but the rush created by Watson and Rice gives Worthy a big advantage, darting across the field and avoiding Stephens who is trying to gain ground.

This concept was also part of a fourth-quarter completion from Mahomes to Rice. The second-year WR takes aim at the inside of a group of three WRs on the right side of the formation, and after a brief motion toward the right tackle, reverses course and heads back outside.

Worthy and Watson again create traffic for him, and Rice breaks off to the right. The traffic again causes problems for Stephens, who weaves through the bodies and closes the gap, but not before gaining eight yards:

Creating traffic for receivers and finding ways to give them advantageous releases off the line of scrimmage certainly isn’t a new concept in the NFL. Teams have been finding ways to give their receivers these types of advantages for years, with perhaps the most recent development in this area being the “cheat motion” that the Miami Dolphins unveiled for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle under Mike McDaniel.

But when can you combine such advantageous releases with a quarterback like Mahomes?

You’re going to give defensive coordinators nightmares.