Kyle
Williams

Williams made an immediate impression on Day 1 of training camp with the Patriots in 2025. Working with the starters, he pulled in a tough catch that drew raves from his quarterback. "He's looking good. … Good for a rookie to make a play like that, and I think he's gonna get better and better," Drake Maye said.

Williams earned a ticket to the NFL thanks to his superb skills out wide. He wasn't always catching passes, however. At Hawthorne HS (CA), he led his team to the state playoffs as a southpaw signal-caller. Watch out for him on trick-play throws up in New England.

Williams made an immediate impression on Day 1 of training camp with the Patriots in 2025. Working with the starters, he pulled in a tough catch that drew raves from his quarterback. "It's looking good. … Good for a rookie to make a play like that, and I think he's gonna get better and better," Drake Maye said.

Kyle will always remember Week 1 of 2025, his rookie year. The third-round draft pick out of Washington State started his NFL career on a positive note by hauling in his first pro target for a 12-yard gain, as his Patriots faced the Raiders on September 7.

Nobody is perfect. That doesn't bother Williams, however. Instead, the Patriots' 2025 rookie wideout is always working to get better. "My weaknesses, I try to turn them into my strengths," he said. Displaying a relentless work ethic, he appeared primed to make an impact on Sundays.

A former quarterback, Williams made his way through the Patriots' system among the reasons they selected the former database. The Patriots could see a lot of lane. It was who caught 248 passes in college with 29 touchdowns.

While he appreciates the comps to Steve Smith Sr., Williams won't let the praise go to his head. "I still have to accomplish a lot of things just for me to accept that comparison," he said. "Me and him, we chop it up here and there. LA guys, just having that resemblance of a home state and everything."

Former quarterback Kyle Williams plays the wide receiver position like a coach on the field. The Patriots can build around this former quarterback who caught 29 touchdowns with 29 touchdowns.

Totaled seven 100-yard outings in two seasons at Washington State and eight touchdowns over the course of the final four games of the Cougars' 2024 season … Fifth Cougars product tabbed by the franchise and the first since Drew Bledsoe (1993) … Originally played as a quarterback in high school.

Williams proved himself to be an elite performer on the perimeter in college, regularly showing he could win at the line of scrimmage or down the field. Looking for a little explosiveness for its own offense, New England selected the standout deep threat with the 69th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Donning the number of New England legend Matthew Slater, Williams wants nothing more than to bring another title to a loyal fan base. "It's huge. You see Patriots everywhere," he told ESPN. "Just seeing the love this town has for sports, it makes you want to give back and compete harder."

Bubble screens, slants and other short-area targets can turn into the New England rookie ranks up yardage with straight-line speed and side-to-side moves that leave defenses in the dust.

When he moved from quarterback to receiver in 12th grade, Williams fired up the YouTube videos. Stefon Diggs, Doug Baldwin and Julian Edelman were among the pass-catchers he studied. "Those guys were really smooth and fluid in their game," he said. "Those were the guys I wanted to model my game after."