Drake Maye and the New England Patriots have a new weapon: Former WSU wide receiver Kyle Williams.
After being projected to be drafted in the late second round or early third, Williams went No. 69 overall to the Patriots in the NFL draft’s third round Friday night. Williams was selected just one spot after his ESPN projection, and fell to the Patriots as just the eighth player selected at his position.
With his selection at No. 69, Williams is the highest Cougar draft pick since offensive lineman Andre Dillard was drafted No. 22 overall in 2019. Williams also marked the first Coug taken in the 2025 draft as the only other Coug to declare, offensive lineman Esa Pole, waits for his name to be called.
Williams now joins a receiver room that lacks a clear No. 2 behind former Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, but will have to work through a depth chart loaded with receivers looking for an opportunity. Receivers DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins are Williams’ most likely obstacles to a more significant target share.
After receiving passes from three different starters at WSU and several more at UNLV, Williams will now work with one of the more promising young quarterbacks in the NFL. Maye is coming off a rookie season where he finished seventh in rookie of the year voting, but threw 2,276 yards, fourth among rookies, and 15 touchdowns to ten interceptions. Williams, who is less than three months younger than Maye, is familiar with Maye’s abilities and is excited to work with him.
“I heard about him when he was at North Carolina, I heard the impact that he made as a rookie,” Williams said. “So I’m really excited to get with a established quarterback, somebody that knows the game and is able to make all types of throws… and just from his character his work ethic, I’m excited to be a part of that.”
Despite working with several quarterbacks with different styles, including the No. 1 overall pick in Cam Ward, adjustment is far from a weakness for Williams.
“Each quarterback, they have a different style as you can see just watching film, so being able to adjust to them and accommodate what they need is something that has helped me with my game so I could go to any environment and just adapt and adjust,” Williams said. “So whatever that quarterback needs from me, I could be on that same terminology, same wavelength so we could complete all type of passes.”
In Williams the Patriots are receiving one of the fastest risers on NFL draft boards, going from fourth and late third round projections, to as high as second-round grades. Williams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at the NFL Combine and was eighth in receiving yards in the FBS with 1,198, just two of the many indicators of his receiving talents.
Eliot Wolf, New England’s executive vice president of player personnel, said Williams’ personality and ability to beat man coverage off the line of scrimmage stood out to him in the pre-draft process.
“His ability to win off the line with his releases and accelerate, his ability to stem guys at the top of the route,” Wolf said. “There’s still some things that he could work on and clean up, which I’m sure Todd [Downing] and Josh [McDaniels] will work on him with, but that was something that stood out to us throughout the process.”
Downing and McDaniels, the Patriots’ wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator, will work alongside recently hired head coach Mike Vrabel to develop Williams. Despite being a member of the team for just a few hours, Williams already had high praise for his new coach.
“I loved him,” Williams said. “A big dude. I mistook him for being on O-lineman, but he was a linebacker. In my opinion, he could have went to the NBA, but a dude that loves the game. You can hear it in his voice the passion that he comes with. He’s a man of standards. He wants to work, and that’s what I’m coming in to uphold in the organization.”
Williams was the third of Wolf’s four offensive picks of the draft so far, joining LSU offensive lineman Will Campbell, Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and Georgia center Jared Wilson. With Williams and his three other picks at the top of the draft, Wolf signaled a commitment to improving on offense that finished 31st in yards per game.
The third and final day of the NFL Draft starts Saturday at 9 a.m. with rounds 4-7 wrapping up the draft.
