Washington State’s Kyle Williams could be Chiefs’ next slot receiver

Williams had a productive 2024 campaign, and he may fit well in a Kansas City uniform.

Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams reportedly visited the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month.

It’s easy to see what Kansas City would be interested in him: he has the makeup of a player the Chiefs have shown to like at the receiver position.

The issue is that the players on the Chiefs he most reminds me of are Skyy Moore and Nikko Remigio. I’m not sure his upside is enough that he offers you much more than they do, and so it’s tough for me to say the Chiefs should use a draft pick to bring in a guy who I don’t think is an impact player for the Chiefs.

Background

The 22-year-old Williams is a product of Santa Monica Catholic High School. He was a three-star athlete coming out of high school in 2020 and was the 102nd-ranked athlete in his class and the 131st-best prospect in the state of California.

He was in the same recruiting class as Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Rome Odunze and Quentin Johnson.

Before transferring to Washington State in 2023, Williams spent three years playing for the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he topped 500+ yards receiving in two out of his three seasons in Nevada.

Film evaluation

Williams is a decent enough athlete to play in the slot, but he lacks the short-area burst needed to create consistent separation off the line.

Williams’ release package leaves something to be desired. His long speed is adequate but not game-breaking. If he does not get open, he tends to stop running.

Williams also tends to drift at the top of his routes and lacks spatial awareness. That being said, he has a good, straightforward approach to his game. There were multiple instances where he ran a good route right out of bounds.

Williams has good hands, even if his catch radius is not massive. He does a good job of stacking the defender on deep balls and was a crucial part of Washington State’s offense this past season. He also does not offer you much in the way of picking up yards after the catch.

At a fundamental level, Williams is good enough of a prospect, but I don’t see him being more than a practice squad hopeful.

How he fits with the Chiefs

Perhaps I’m still scarred by the Skyy Moore selection, but I don’t see what Williams offers as a receiver that 80% of other receivers in the NFL don’t. Perhaps his biggest strength is that he is consistent and good at everything, but great at nothing.

Still, there are other receivers in this draft who fill a similar role as Williams, who I think offer more as players.

The bottom line

If you are selecting him in the back end of the draft as a lottery ticket, then that’s fine. But if he’s going to cost you a top-100 selection, then it is a hard pass for me.

There is definitely a world where he is a steady contributor in the NFL. So, depending on where he is drafted, I’m either okay with it or somewhere in be