Patriots rookie Kyle Williams looking forward to teaming up with Stefon Diggs
“Once that happens, my childhood is basically complete, man.”
Stefon Diggs has yet to take a snap with the Patriots out on the football field.
But the former All-Pro wideout already has developed quite the reputation in Foxborough, especially among the team’s younger crop of players.
“Shoot, Stefon, he was one of those guys growing up when I was in high school, he was young in the league. I had him on my fantasy team and things like that — playing with him in Madden,” Drake Maye said of Diggs last week. “It’s pretty cool to hopefully now in-season throw to him.
“He’s coming back obviously from injury. He’s doing great. He’s been around. It’s going to be cool to throw to a receiver who’s made plays like he has.”
A healthy Diggs — who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in October 2024 — will be a welcome sight for Maye as a proven playmaker in 2025.
But the presence of a veteran wideout with a resume like Diggs’ also stands to benefit a wide-receiver room filled with potential — but also rife with inexperience.
Count New Patriots rookie wideout Kyle Williams among those excited to work alongside Diggs later in the summer.
The 2025 third-round pick (No. 69 overall out of Washington State) said that he used to study Diggs’ game tape and routes while working his way toward the NFL.
“The NFL has always been my dream. So in order to get there, you have to watch the people that’s been there, and done that,” Williams said Friday at Gillette Stadium. “Diggs was just somebody I always watched as a kid, and most of the other receivers, so being able to learn from their tools, and being able to add it to my bag, and do it on a consistent basis.”
Williams said that he’s yet to meet with Diggs, who is rehabbing from his knee injury. But the dynamic boundary receiver is looking forward to building a rapport with the former Bills and Vikings standout moving forward.
“I’m still waiting for him to get here,” Williams said. “Once that happens, my childhood is basically complete, man.”
While Diggs’ route-running and shiftiness could make him a dependable target for Maye this season, Williams has the potential to be a dangerous deep-threat option for the Patriots’ second-year QB.
The 5-foot-11 Williams was a force in 2024 at Washington State, recording 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns — averaging 17.1 yards per catch.
The 22-year-old wide receiver finished the 2024 season fourth in the FBS with his 14 receiving touchdowns — just one behind both Travis Hunter and Ohio State freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.
Given Maye’s arm strength, a wide receiver with Williams’ natural acceleration and separation capabilities could become a key asset in Josh McDaniels’ revamped offense.
“It’s an honor, someone who has a great track record,” Williams said of working with McDaniels. “Somebody who knows the position knows the offense, so being able to be under his wing and learn is something that’s pretty special.”
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