The New England Patriots have selected three wide receivers over the last two NFL drafts, and for their offense to reach its maximum potential this coming season, at least one of them needs to step up and be a reliable contributor.
Kyle Williams could be that guy.
The Patriots drafted the Washington State wideout with the No. 69 pick (third round) in the 2025 draft.
He tallied career highs with 70 receptions, 1,198 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns for the Cougars during the 2024 season.
Speaking at a Boston youth football clinic Thursday, Williams explained his mindset when it comes to catching passes and going against top-tier cornerbacks in practice like teammate Christian Gonzalez.
“My mindset is don’t drop the money. Every time the ball is there, it’s a bag of money. We can’t let that hit the floor, because (then) that’s somebody else’s,” Williams said.
“Just being able to make those plays, just showing that I can compete against those top-tier guys in the league. It makes me excited because Gonzo — I think it’s an iron sharpens iron thing. Going against Gonzo is going to help me better my game.”
It’s an interesting way of approaching the job, but if it works, why change? And Williams is right — every pass thrown his way is an opportunity for him to prove himself. And judging by his performance in rookie minicamp and mandatory minicamp, Williams is definitely on the right track.
Williams isn’t the only young wideout on the Patriots’ depth chart. The team drafted Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in the second and fourth rounds, respectively, of the 2024 draft. Neither player made much of an impact as a rookie. Polk caught 12 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games. Baker made one catch for 12 yards in 11 games.
Drafting quality wide receivers has proven to be a very difficult task for the Patriots. The last time they drafted a wideout who tallied a 1,000-yard season was Julian Edelman — a seventh-round pick in 2009.
But Williams has the skill set to be a real difference-maker for Josh McDaniels’ offense. And that process resumes in about a month when training camp starts up in Foxboro.
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