FOXBOROUGH — When asked in February at the NFL scouting combine about the challenges of finding a No. 1 receiver, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel brought up Kyle Williams unprompted.
“I’m excited to see where guys like Kyle Williams go from Year 1 to Year 2, just his development and his growth mentally and physically,” Vrabel said at the time.
When a reporter followed up to ask if he views Williams as that caliber of player, Vrabel clarified.
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“I’m not going to say that,” he said. “I just know I’m excited about seeing where he goes from Year 1 to Year 2. He made some fantastic plays. He has an ability to adjust down the field on the deep ball, and has got really good release skills.
“I’m not going to sit there and say, ‘These guys are going to be a No. 1 receiver or edge rusher.’ We’re just excited that he’s with us and what he showed us. His attitude was fantastic. We’ll have to help him to reach his potential.”
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In the months following those comments, the Patriots made two major additions at wide receiver by signing Romeo Doubs and trading for A.J. Brown. Both of those veteran players obviously supplant Williams on the depth chart.
The addition of veteran A.J. Brown (1) might have clouded things for Kyle Williams (center), but then things got a bit rosier for him when the Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte (9) to the Texans.
The addition of veteran A.J. Brown (1) might have clouded things for Kyle Williams (center), but then things got a bit rosier for him when the Patriots traded Kayshon Boutte (9) to the Texans.
But Vrabel’s comments were still an early indication of how the Patriots feel about Williams, their third-round draft pick in 2025.
The decision to trade Kayshon Boutte further spotlighted Williams, who should now have an open runway to more opportunities as a deep ball threat.
So, can Williams actually make a Year 2 leap? There’s reason for optimism.
Related: Patriots receiver Kyle Williams promises to be ‘night and day’ different in his second NFL season
Williams bulked up this offseason, upping his weight to 190 pounds after ending his rookie year as “185 soaking wet.” Both Vrabel and executive vice president of personnel Eliot Wolf listed strength as an offseason focus, in order to aid him with the physicality not only off the top of his routes but also at the catch point.
Williams also boasts tremendous speed, an attribute that sets him apart from the rest of the receiver room. Last year, Williams reached a maximum speed of 21.78 miles per hour on his 72-yard touchdown pass in Tampa. He finished the season as the league’s second fastest ball carrier on a reception, behind only Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
This offseason, Williams worked on not only maintaining his speed with his added strength, but also building even more speed. In addition to working with Dee McKneely, his personal wide receivers coach, Williams spent time with David Musa, a sports performance training and functional movement specialist.
Musa detected that Williams was overcompensating in one leg, so he devised a program that included significant single-leg isometric work in order to reach better balance.
“We didn’t want him to be too dominant on one side because, with that, there’s a high percentage of leading to injuries,” Musa said. “If you’re depending on just one side and one leg, there’s a lot of wear and tear there also. We did a lot of corrective exercises with that, and a lot of plyometrics.”
Kyle Williams only caught 10 passes last season, but three of them went for touchdowns, like this 37-yarder against the Ravens that helped spark the Patriots' 28-24 comeback win in Baltimore in Week 16.
Kyle Williams only caught 10 passes last season, but three of them went for touchdowns, like this 37-yarder against the Ravens that helped spark the Patriots' 28-24 comeback win in Baltimore in Week 16.
The two also worked on his overall mobility, flexibility, stabilization, and conditioning. Musa wanted to show Williams how he could leverage his increased power with his newfound strength, translating the functional exercises to acceleration and explosiveness on the field.
“We don’t want to drop anything off his speed, so now it’s how do you control that speed as you get faster?” Musa said. “It’s kind of like his body is a Ferrari, and we kind of did a lot of the alignments. We had to put more air pressure in the tires, make sure no water was in the radiator. A lot of stuff, to make the car, the engine, drive smoother, is what we kind of did.”
Musa also came away impressed with Williams’s fortitude. One day, when Williams was running hill repeats — an exercise in which he would sprint up an incline and then return within a certain time — he continued to push through despite throwing up and feeling dizzy.
“When things were very difficult, he had to go into a different state of mind,” Musa said. “A lot of people will tap out or stop or wait or want to lower the reps, find the easier way out. He never wanted an easy way out.
“Mentally, it pushed him to a different level, which I think is going to prepare him for the season. He’s ready to push through different types of thresholds.”
Williams seemed poised for a productive training camp, based on his offseason work as well as the excitement from the coaching staff and front office. He was one of the team’s four offseason award winners for his attitude and approach.
Related: After months of buildup, A.J. Brown is ready to make an impact with Patriots
During camp, though, Williams rarely shared the field with starting quarterback Drake Maye and caught only two passes from him across weeks of practices. When Williams shined during the preseason games, hauling in multiple deep touchdown passes, he was working with backup quarterback Tommy DeVito and often also facing reserve defensive backs.
Amid Williams’s limited first-team reps during practice, Vrabel offered reassurance.
“I really, really know that Kyle is going to help us,” he said. “His speed is going to help us … I know he is going to be a large part of what we’re going to do, and those opportunities will continue to come. His release skills, his speed, his vertical speed, those are all things that we have to continue to take advantage of as we progress.”
It’s clear the Patriots want Williams to take the next step — and are hopeful he can do so.
Only time will tell if Williams will earn, and capitalize on, more snaps this season. Last season, he was on the field for 30.7 percent of the offense’s snaps, and caught 10 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
Until the season starts, there will be questions about whether Williams can expand his role and showcase his offseason improvements. For his part, Williams said earlier this week his preseason performance helped build his confidence.
“It’s something I knew I could always do,” he said. “It’s just putting it on display. That confidence is going to keep carrying over week by week and stay growing.”