Lucky Number? Patriots Rookie WR Honors Team Legend

New England Patriots rookie receiver Kyle Williams has chosen to fill some very big shoes as he enters his first season.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to say that he is adopting one of the most venerable jersey numbers in franchise history.

Williams, on Thursday, revealed that the history of the Patriots organization played a significant role when choosing his number for 2025 and hopefully beyond. With his previously-chosen collegiate options already off the table, the Pats’ third-round choice in April’s draft decided to pay homage to revered Patriots’ alumnus by selecting number 18.

"The legendary Matthew Slater," Williams told ESPN. “I only hope to live up to his legacy.”

“Williams wore No. 1 at Washington State and No. 2 at Nevada, which were already taken Ja’Lynn and [Harold] Landry.,” reported Patriots insider Mike Reiss. “Williams has quickly grown to appreciate No. 18, in part because of its history in New England.”

Having spent the entirety of his gridiron tenure with New England, Slater became one of the NFL’s most respected players both on and off the field. In fact, he was often considered the standard to which his teammates (and even his coaches) hold themselves accountable. A 13-time team captain, earned two first-team All-Pro selections (2016, 2019), three second team All-Pro (2017, 2020, 2021) and 10 Pro Bowl nods, the most by a special teamer in NFL history.

For all of his on-field success, the argument can be made that Slater was equally respected off the field. The Pats captain took great pride in his role as a mentor for many of the team’s younger players — not only leading them throughout the game, but also offering his wisdom and advice away from it. In fact, Slater’s status as a locker room leader, in conjunction with his on-field knowledge led him to the coach’s bench in 2024 as a special assistant to then-head coach Jerod Mayo.

Accordingly, Williams is seemingly making himself quite at home in the region since being drafted at number 69 overall. His self-professed “electric” style of play is expected to add a dimension to the Patriots passing game which has been seldom seen in recent years. In theory, he should provide Josh McDaniels’ offense with a big-play threat who is capable of stretching the field.

Having split his collegiate career between Nevada and Washington State, the Baltimore, Maryland native played in 50 career games — 25 for the University of Nevada from 2020-22 and 25 for Washington State from 2023-24. During that span, he amassed 248 receptions for 3,608 yards and 29 touchdowns. He added 17 rushing attempts for 87 yards. In 2024, Williams started all 13 games and led team with 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Still, Williams' stats demonstrate only a portion of his potential. Perhaps best known for his speed and ability to separate from his defender, the 22-year-old is also an adept route-runner. He also possesses the skill to start-and-stop at the beginning of his stride to make defensive backs and coverage linebackers miss in all areas of the field.

With a competitive fire in his heart, as well as a legendary number on his jersey, Williams has all the makings of a future star in Foxborough.