The New England Patriots have not successfully drafted a wide receiver since Julian Edelman in 2009, but third-round pick Kyle Williams could break that trend. A Senior from Washington State, Williams joins a wide-open wide receiver room with no clear lead option in the passing attack. Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte are adequate depth options but shouldn’t be featured parts of the offense, and veteran Stefon Diggs is recovering from an ACL injury and isn’t in the best standing with the organization.
Fortunately for the Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye, Kyle Williams is living up to his pre-draft hype. According to Jordy McElroy of Patriots Wire, Williams has looked “exceptional” in practice, and highlights his speed “when getting in and out of his routes” as something New England hasn’t had in recent years.
Kyle Williams Impressing Early For Patriots, Could Signal Stefon Diggs Departure
Obviously, this is just OTAs, and you never want to put too much faith in practice reports. After all, at this point last year, Tyquan Thornton was getting ready for a Year 3 breakout. However, with that disclaimer out of the way, the Patriots must be happy to see Kyle Williams performing well.
Quarterback Drake Maye showed life last year in a truly disastrous situation. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo was in way over his head, while the offensive line and wide receivers were the worst in the league. Head coach Mike Vrabel should provide a base level of competence and the multiple additions to the offensive line should keep Maye upright, but the wide receivers need some help.
Stefon Diggs was the only big-name addition to the unit, and he’s on the wrong side of 30 and returning from a season-ending knee injury. On top of that, the wide receiver recently appeared in a controversial video with a mysterious pink powder could reportedly lead to his release.
New England spent big on Diggs, so they probably won’t cut him unless they can find a way to void the guarantees in his contract. However, they probably won’t even do that without rostering a reliable receiver. If Kyle Williams continues to impress, perhaps the Patriots will move forward with him and decide Diggs isn’t worth the off-field headache.
Main Photo: Eric Canha – Imagn Images
