Pro Cougs: Kyle Williams Projected Fifth on Patriots' Depth Chart

Ahead of the 2025 season, NFL squads finalized their 53-man rosters on Tuesday. Unsurprisingly, former Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams has a spot on the New England Patriots roster.

In ESPN's recent evaluation of how every selection from the 2025 NFL Draft has performed in the preseason, Williams was praised as "a versatile option with the ability to win with his release at the line of scrimmage and down the field." That evaluation also noted that Williams is expected to be fifth on the Patriots' depth chart at receiver, sharing a room with the likes of Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas and Mack Hollins, among others.

Williams appeared in two preseason games for the Patriots. He caught three passes on seven targets for 24 yards. He missed New England's third and final preseason game with an undisclosed injury. He returned to practice with New England over the weekend.

Following his three-year stint at UNLV, Williams transferred to Washington State in 2023 and wrote his way into the Cougars record books during his two seasons in Pullman. Williams sits in a tie at sixth all time on WSU's career receiving touchdowns list with 20 and is also tied for 10th with seven 100-yard games. Williams, who played in 25 contests for the Cougs, finished with over 2,000 receiving yards on 131 catches.

In his five total seasons in college, Williams totaled 248 catches for 3609 yards with 29 touchdowns. At the NFL Combine, the 5'11" and 190-pound prospect ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4. seconds with a ten-yard split of 1.55 seconds. He also posted a vertical jump of 36.5 inches and a broad jump of 9'11".

Williams was selected by the Patriots with the fifth pick of the third round, No. 69 overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft. He subsequently signed a four-year rookie contract worth $6.7 million with $1.5 million guaranteed.

The wideout was the highest draft pick to finish his career at Washington State since Andre Dillard was the No. 22 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft (Philadelphia Eagles). Williams was the only member of the 2024 Cougars roster selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. WSU has seen at-least one player selected in the NFL Draft in the last four consecutive seasons.

The Patriots will open the 2025 NFL season on Sunday, September 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.