Kyle Williams Faces a Brutal Patriots Receiver Battle and a Painful Draft History
The list is long and it is not pretty.
Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, N'Keal Harry, Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce, Brandon Tate and Chad Jackson.
All were failed receivers taken by the New England Patriots in the top half of the National Football League Draft since 2006.
Only one decent Super Bowl-winning season from 2016 fourth-rounder Malcolm Mitchell (39 catches, 476 yards, 4 TDs including the postseason) keeps the team's ineptitude from a clean sweep of futility.
Trying to buck the trend
Second-year man Kyle Williams, a third-round pick in 2025, is hoping to change that painful run.
As training camp approaches on July 24, it appears that the UNLV and Washington State product could be in a bit of trouble. He posted very modest rookie numbers with a dozen catches on 27 targets for 223 yards in 21 games (including playoffs). Drake Maye completed 44.4 percent of his passes to Williams and 70.4 percent to everyone else.
Right now, the Patriots roster has a dozen candidates for somewhere between five and seven roster spots.
Can he carve out a roster spot?
New pickups A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs project as the starters. Veteran Mack Hollins should be the No. 3. Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas have to be considered ahead of Williams on the depth chart to open the camp competition, and we can expect that last year's training camp darling, Efton Chism, will again open eyes in August.
And then there is Williams.
Coach Mike Vrabel has been impressed by Williams so far through the spring, but jobs aren't won in May or June. They are won in August and held on to throughout the fall into winter.
"Kyle's strength and his ability to manage as a speed player have improved," said Vrabel earlier in the spring. "Talking to the strength coaches, he's embraced that idea of lifting and how critical it is for all players but especially a younger one as a receiver.
"You saw him really have some great flashes last year. The other thing that's really critical at receiver, once they know more than one position, it really opens up their opportunities and what they can do as opposed to just being a one position receiver."
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