From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Washington State WR Kyle Williams.
#2 KYLE WILLIAMS, WR, WASHINGTON STATE (rSR) – 5102, 182 lbs.
Senior Bowl
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Kyle Williams | 5102/182 | 8 3/4 | 30 1/2 | 72 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
— Solid height, weight, and hand size
— Very good athleticism, quickness, and speed
— Very good acceleration off the line of scrimmage/after the catch
— Consistently creates space and can win over the top; finds soft spot vs Zone
— Profiles as an X receiver; can play inside or outside
— Solid route running overall
— Good hands; plucks away from the body, late hands on deep routes
— Very good after the catch, creating yards and has good contact balance
— Used on fly sweeps and end-arounds
The Bad
— Lacks traditional size for the X receiver
— Well-timed jam can slow him off the LOS
— Decelerates out of breakpoint
— In breaking routes will drift deeper from the LOS
— Half effort on plays in which he isn’t involved
— Contested catch situations can improve
— Visible frustration on poor throws from QB
— Marginal effort as a blocker
— Essentially no special teams experience
Bio
— Career: 248 receptions, 3,609 yards, 14.6 YPC, 29 TD; 17 carries, 72 yards; 1 KR for 36 yards
— 2024: 70 receptions, 1,198 yards, 17.1 YPC, 14 TD; 9 carries for 57 yards
— 50 games, at least 40 starts
— 3 years at UNLV, 2 at Washington State
— Senior Bowl Invitee
— 2024 Set Holiday Bowl record with 174 receiving yards
— 20 TDs at WSU are 6th all-time at the school
— 2020, 2021 – Mountain West All-Academic team
— 2024 Mountain West Freshman of the Year
— 2020 – member of The Athletics’ Freshman All-America Second Team
— 50 consecutive games with a reception
— 2024: 7 TD’s of 30+ yards
Tape Breakdown
Kyle Williams is a wideout of solid height and weight with adequate arm length and solid hand size. He aligned primarily on the outside for the Cougars but also lined up in the slot and the backfield.
Off the line of scrimmage, against Press coverage, he has very good footwork and quickness, with solid hand usage to counteract a defender’s jam. He can create space quickly and has very good acceleration to get to his break point.
Against off-coverage, he will vary his speed and use hesitations or quickness to get defenders on their heels. He is very good at finding space to present himself to the quarterback when facing Zone coverage.
Subtle move to find space in the Zone and contact balance on display.
He was used on all levels and could create space at all levels. He uses very good athleticism, quickness, agility in the short and intermediate areas, and very good acceleration and speed to win over the top. His change of direction is good, and he displays a nice hip drop on comeback routes. On deep routes, he was able to draw several penalties when the defender was beaten. In the scramble drill, he is solid working in space to get himself open.
Good COD and speed to take it to the house.
Williams winning deep.
His hands are good overall. I didn’t see any drops in the game I watched, with just one bobble. He can adjust to the ball in any direction when stationary or on the move, and he tracks the deep ball well, using late hands to not key the defender. On contested catches, he was solid on the deep routes.
After the catch, that’s where he was rather impressive. He can create yards after any reception using a change of direction, quickness, and acceleration. His contact balance is good, and he consistently added extra yards.
Three defenders make contact before he is tackled.
Consistently created yards after the catch.
In the run game, he was used on fly sweeps and end-arounds and had solid success. He reads his blocks well and finds the running area well. As a blocker, he was solid, putting himself between the defender and the ball.
A well-timed jam at the line of scrimmage can slow his release. When running the route, after his break, he consistently decelerates. His route-running consistency has room to improve. His crossing/dig routes will drift away from the line of scrimmage. On running routes, he goes half-speed and could be better at selling the route. He can improve at working to the ball in contested catch situations in the short and intermediate areas. Displayed frustration early in the season on a poor throw from the quarterback. He displayed marginal effort as a blocker with adequate play strength to block consistently. He has essentially no special teams experience with one kick return (though he was a starter since he was a freshman).
Effort was inconsistent as a blocker.
Conclusion
Overall, Kyle Williams has solid height and weight, is very athletic, and has speed. He can align anywhere on the field and be used on all levels. He uses very good footwork and quickness on his release and can create space on all levels. His hands are good he adjusts to the ball well and excels at creating yards after the catch.
Areas to improve include his hand usage at the line of scrimmage versus jams, keeping his speed out of the breakpoint, and the overall consistency of his route running. Adding play strength will help him in areas like contested catches and as a blocker. Additional effort as a blocker would be a plus to his game.
I was relatively unfamiliar with Kyle Williams and came out impressed. His statistics were very good, but they could have been much better with better quarterback play earlier in the season. He is the antithesis of the Steelers’ wide receiver room. He wins off the line, creates space, and adds yards after the catch. Additionally, he has room to get even better. He is system-diverse and fits best as an X receiver but can also play the slot or Z.
For a player comp, the first guy that came to mind was Antonio Brown. They are essentially the same size, with quickness, speed, and creativity after the catch. And each needed refinement in route running and catching the ball in a crowd.
Projection: Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd round)
Games Watched: 2024 –Vs Washington, At Boise State, Vs Utah State, At New Mexico, Vs Syracuse
