The New England Patriots continued their theme of adding explosiveness to an offense that had very little last season, using their third pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (third round, No. 69 overall) on big-play wide receiver Kyle Williams from Washington State.
A productive receiver for three seasons at UNLV, Williams (5-10 1/2, 190) took off over his final two campaigns with the Cougars. Last year, he caught 70 passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Besides explosiveness, the Patriots continue to spend their top resources in the draft to build around quarterback Drake Maye. Before this pick, they chose a left tackle (Will Campbell) to block his blind side and a running back (TreVeyon Henderson) to add some juice to the backfield.
‘The Beast’ breakdown
Williams ranked 91st overall in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board and was the No. 12 wide receiver. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Williams is quick to uncover near the line or win downfield — he posted an outstanding success rate (58.3 percent) on throws of more than 20 yards in 2024. The next step in his development will be to polish his route steps to better harness his athletic traits. Overall, Williams might not stand out with his size or play strength, but he compensates for that with his ability to accelerate to top gear rapidly and create catchable windows for his quarterback. With more seasoning, he can become a WR2/3 for an NFL offense.”
How he fits
The Patriots found their big-play receiver for Maye. A year after striking out (at least so far) on Ja’Lynn Polk, the Pats hope they’ve found a deep threat for their big-armed quarterback.
Williams posted a success rate over 58 percent on throws 20-plus yards downfield and consistently yielded explosive plays in college.
That’s a major trait that the Patriots have lacked at wide receiver in recent years. Williams ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical leap of more than 36 inches. He gets off the line of scrimmage quickly and runs by corners. For a Patriots group that has struggled to separate from defensive backs, Williams should be able to do that.
Depth chart impact
The Patriots have a logjam of receivers who would be No. 3 or 4 guys on other teams. But that should give Williams a path to early playing time.
In an ideal situation, Williams would play well enough in training camp to be the team’s No. 2 receiver opposite Stefon Diggs, potentially with Demario Douglas serving as the slot receiver in 11 personnel.
But even if Williams doesn’t start, the fact that he brings something different with his explosiveness should get him on the field.
10:11 of every single 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐓𝐃 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐠.
you’re welcome🙏 pic.twitter.com/H2790vXzyO
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) April 18, 2025
They also could have picked …
It’s hard to nitpick this one too much. The Patriots needed a big-play receiver, and they landed one. Sure, they could have gone with Jaylin Noel from Iowa State, but Williams makes sense.
If they wanted to go in a different direction, the most obvious choices would have been at guard (maybe Miles Frazier or Marcus Mbow) or edge rusher (maybe Landon Jackson or Jack Sawyer).
Fast evaluation
This one makes a lot of sense. And it hammers home the Patriots’ theme of the night: adding explosiveness. The Patriots offense had no juice last year. There were no players who really scared opposing defensive coordinators. Henderson and Williams are meaningful steps toward changing that.
(Photo: James Snook / Imagn Images)