Draft Analysis: Kyle Williams

April 14, 2025 /
  • Height: 5’10”
  • Weight: 190 lbs.
  • College: Washington State University
  • Tape watched: Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming
  • NFL Comparison: Jayden Reed

Pros

  • YAC

Forcing 21 missed tackles at his size, Williams is impressive after the catch. Electric in short spaces, Williams only further capitalizes with his breakaway speed. I am not sure Williams was tracked down from behind once he found open field in any game I watched.

  • Separation

The 0-60 speed Williams possesses is instantaneous. The burst and acceleration Williams has is incredible. One wrong press punch, one wrong step or turn, and he disappears. With only a quarter of his snaps coming from the slot receiver position, Williams has untapped potential for NFL coordinators to take advantage of.

  • Release

An assassin with his footwork, Williams has enough juice to overshadow his strength at the line of scrimmage. Williams stays low and avoids press punches with his upper body. He has evidence of proactive hand usage.

Midline

  • Route Running

A severely limited route tree evidenced by an 11.5 average-depth-of-target confined Williams to a lot of short area targets. Williams excels underneath coverages, where his explosiveness shines. He makes great route cuts and manipulates his tempo well.

William’s size and strength can let stronger defensive backs hold him at the line of scrimmage and force him to the boundary. He can struggle to hold his vertical line downfield.

  • Hands

Kyle Williams had a near 7% drop rate in 2024. His catch radius is smaller than average, so completing out of frame catches can be a struggle. He does show good hands within his catch radius and doesn’t overly resort to trapping the ball with his body. To his credit, Williams converted and impressive percent of his contested opportunities.

Cons

  • Size

Pedestrian height and weight with under 10th percentile arm length and hand size finds Williams in a detrimental grouping.

  • Blocking

There were few instances of Kyle Williams effectively blocking on the perimeter. He cannot be trusted with his current technique and desire.

  • Competition Level

Williams will turn 23 this NFL season. It took him until his 5th year to break out at Washington State. The UNLV transfer played only one season against a full schedule of Power-4 competition, his true senior year at Wazzu. The transition from a Mountain West hybrid schedule to the NFL will be more than a step up in competition.

Overview

Draft hype is heating up for Kyle Williams, and deservedly so. Teams are desperate for players with elite traits. Williams has two: His splash play abilities and his breakaway speed. A good NFL coordinator can really weaponize Williams. Don’t be surprised if Williams hears his name called on Day 2 of the draft.