Patriots Rookie Has Chance to Buck Team History

The history of the Patriots and wide receivers in the NFL draft is not just dodgy. It’s downright terrible. And as promising as third-round pick Kyle Williams out of Washington State has looked thus far for the team, he not only faces his own challenges when it comes to making an impact this year–his spot on the depth chart, the difficulty of picking up Josh McDaniels’ offense, his stature (he’s 5-foot-11)–but he also has a historical burden that he’s carrying through no fault of his own.

Patriots fans know the recent names well. N’Keal Henry in  the first round in 2019. Tyquan Thornton in the second round in 2022. Heck, Ja’Lynn Polk (second round) and Javon Baker (fourth) in 2024. All four have been utter flops in the NFL.

But it goes back so much farther than that. Longtime fans will remember the likes of Chad Jackson and David Givens and Aaron Dobson. The last time the Patriots drafted a receiver in the top four rounds who actually posted 100 catches and 1,000 yards receiving in his career–his entire career–was Deion Branch. And he lasted 11 years in the league but never had a 1,000-yard season.

That was 2002. In 25 years, then, the Patriots have picked 11 receivers in the first four rounds, and just one was reasonably successful.

Patriots Have ‘Terrible History’

Again, that has nothing to do with Williams. But in breaking down Williams as a key player for the Patriots in 2025, The Athletic notes that the weight of history is unavoidable at the position for New England.

Writes the site’s Chad Graff: “To put it bluntly, the Patriots have a terrible history of drafting and developing receivers. Yes, this is a new regime, but it’s hard to have much faith that a wide receiver drafted early by the Patriots is going to be good.”

There’s reason for hope when it comes to Williams, though. He fell to the third round mostly because of his size and the fact that he was a lightly recruited late bloomer who was mostly a quarterback in high school. His speed–a 4.4 40-yard dash at the combine–is undeniable.

Kyle Williams Can Go Deep

Assuming he can get on the field in a wide-receiver mix that includes incoming star WR1 Stefon Diggs along with veterans Mack Hollins, Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas, Williams has the chance to give quarterback Drake Maye something he lacked entirely last season: a deep threat.

Defenses were all too comfortable packing in their coverages against the Patriots knowing there was no one on the field with the speed to beat them deep. Graff points out that, if Williams can learn the playbook and polish up his route-running, he could have a chance to change that.

He writes: “Last season, the Patriots faced a higher rate of man coverage (30 percent of passing snaps) and single-high safeties (61 percent of the time) than league average, per Tru Media, because teams knew that the Pats couldn’t throw it deep and didn’t have receivers who could separate against man coverage.

“Those are the two areas in which Williams should excel. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage, which gives him a big advantage against man coverage. And the deep ball is his biggest strength.”