The top of the New England Patriots wide receiver depth chart is cemented following the additions of A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.
Behind them? Not so much.
A crowded wide receiver room — one that currently consists of 12 players — will have plenty to work out during training camp. Part of that group includes second year receivers Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III, both of whom spent time working with Drake Maye this spring and finished the offseason program on a high note Thursday.
For last year’s third-round
pick Kyle Williams, that came on a nice adjustment along the back end line to haul in a touchdown from Tommy DeVito. The play seemed to encapsulate much of his offseason work.
“Some of those little details — the route tops, the play strength, proper footwork, who he is in the run game, blocking force — all those things are a little bit cleaner to him. The picture is a little bit slower to him than it was last year,” wide receiver coach Todd Downing said. “Really pleased with where he’s at. He’s been working his tail off. He’s moving all over the place, handling a big role, so I’m very pleased with him.”
Williams played just 31 percent of the team’s offensive snaps as a rookie, catching 10 passes in the process. He showcased his explosiveness in limited action, however, turning those receptions into 209 yards and three touchdowns.
The speed element Williams can provide would be a natural complement to Brown and Doubs atop the depth chart, but the 23-year old also focused on adding weight this offseason. After playing around 185 pounds “soaking wet” last season, Williams is now north of 190.
“I can see him playing sturdier. I can see him doing a better job through contact. Certainly not avoiding reroutes in zones and things of that nature. Kind of working through shoulders. He’s doing a great job,” Downing said.
While Williams’ has added size, Chism has been working to improve the speed element of his game while continuing to expand his roll beyond his natural slot position.
“Understanding the details a little bit better,” Downing said. “I think he had some exposure last year when Mack [Hollins] went out of moving around in different spots. That’s accelerating and improving as well this offseason. Being able to walk in and know what a concept is or what the formation is without having to think about it is going to help him play faster when the ball is snapped.
“Maybe some release speed or play speed is the area of improvement with him, where Kyle might be more on the play-strength side. Efton’s probably more on the play-speed side.”
The slot is still where Chism does his best work, which was evident on the final day of minicamp when he shook free from a defender to get wide-open for a touchdown reception from DeVito in the end zone.
As Mike Vrabel noted, Williams’ development and Chism continuing to take advantage of his opportunities has stood out this spring. Them continuing down that path this summer would only further improve an already talented wide receiver room.
“The talent is stacked,” A.J. Brown said. “The talent is stacked and that’s what you want. You want guys to push each other. We talk about all the time raising that standard, pushing each other, and holding each and everybody accountable.”
