Getty Patriots WR Kyle Williams
The New England Patriots offense have a plethora of young prospects expected to make an instant impact early in their NFL careers.
Well, one NFL content producer is projecting a big rookie year for one Patriots WR entering the 2025 NFL season.
Patriots Rookie WR Kyle Williams Receives Exciting Projection from NFL.com
NFL.com Deputy Editor Gennaro Filice gave New England fans room for optimism regarding an improve passing attack by projecting rookie WR Kyle Williams to the All-Rookie Team entering the 2025 NFL season.
Gennaro wrote, “At 5-10 5/8 and 190 pounds, Williams’ physical stature doesn’t jump off the page. But what the Los Angeles product lacks in size, he makes up for in explosiveness, playmaking ability and raw DOGness. Sounds like Steve Smith Sr.”
Williams was productive receiver over the first four years of his collegiate career at UNLV and Washington State with a minimum of 35+ receptions for 400+ yards every season, but exploded in 2024 with 70 receptions for 1,198 yards and 14 scores.
Williams ability to make plays after the catch could give the Patriots offense a YAC element that felt missing last year with Ja’Lynn Polk having a disappointing rookie season and the rest of the receiver room failing to top 650 receiving yards in 2024.
Gennaro added, “Williams is indeed a fun watch, exhibiting the kind of dynamism and swagger that lead you to believe he can make a smooth transition to the league. The 22-year-old still needs to refine the finer points of his game — eliminating concentration drops and polishing his route-running — but there’s a lot of reason to believe he could wind up as a third-round steal who significantly nurtures the growth of Drake Maye.”
Williams showcased encouraging development with his tempo and timing in his route running, which helped the speedy wide receiver reach new heights in his final collegiate season, but still could clean up his hands a bit when fighting through contact at the top of the stem.
If Williams’ 2024 production wasn’t an outlier, there is a possibility that the talented rookie pops in year one.
Could Kyle Williams Emerge as the WR1 in this Patriots Offense in 2025?
There are a couple of factors that could make-or-break Kyle Williams living up to this lofty projection from Gennaro.
First, the unknown of veteran WR Stefon Diggs entering the 2025 NFL season.
Diggs has been an incredibly productive receiver throughout his pro career, but is north of 30 years old and is recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season.
Writing off a former All-Pro receiver like Diggs prematurely feels a bit too aggressive, but his age, injured knee, and recent drop in production all feel like valid reasons to believe he may not be the automatic go-to receiver in this offense.
When looking at the rest of the depth chart, it is easy to see why Williams could have a real shot at being the most productive receiver on the roster in 2025.
Names like Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, and Kendrick Bourne don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenses and Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker don’t feel like guarantees to make the final roster entering this season.
Projecting an undersized receiver taken in the third round of the NFL Draft feels a bit bold, but given the make up of the current Patriots WR room, Williams emerging as the top producer in this offense in his rookie year doesn’t feel all that farfetched.
