During Bill Belichick's tenure as the Patriots' head coach and unofficial general manager, he earned a reputation for not being the best at evaluating talent in the draft, resulting in New England collecting more busts than stars. That was particularly apparent when it came to wide receivers, with perhaps the most infamous being N'Keal Harry.
Belichick passed on A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Deebo Samuel during the 2019 draft, leading to Harry eventually being traded in his third season, while the others have been honored with multiple Pro Bowl selections.
Unfortunately, the tradition of missing out on the right wide receiver talent from the draft continued even after Belichick was fired last season. Jerod Mayo and Co. traded out of their initial second-round pick to select Ja'Lynn Polk instead of Ladd McConkey, who was then picked by the Chargers.
But now it looks like the new regime led by Mike Vrabel may have taken a good receiver this year to right the wrong of passing on McConkey.
NFL analyst believes the Patriots finally got their own Ladd McConkey in the 2025 Draft
Deciding not to draft McConkey, who had long been labeled a perfect Patriot, became a talking point throughout the season because the rookie went on to record 82 receptions for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns for LA, with eight receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns scored against the Patriots in Week 17. Meanwhile, Polk totaled 12 receptions for 87 yards and two scores.
Knowing that was a massive miss by the Mayo staff, it's possible that Vrabel and Wolf wanted to ensure that didn't happen again by getting their own version of McConkey. That is something The Athletic's Dane Brugler believes is the case with third-round pick Kyle Williams, who has earned rave reviews since his selection was announced last week.
"The Patriots drafted four offensive players in the top 100, all of whom project as early starters. I could make a case for any of the four as my favorite of the haul, but I’ll go with Williams because of the impact he’ll bring to the passing game. Josh Downs was Drake Maye’s go-to target during Maye’s best college season, and Williams can become that type of weapon (and help correct New England’s Ladd McConkey miss)."
Although McConkey is only going into his second season, and another comp might be more exciting for fans, hearing Williams could potentially put up that kind of production for the Patriots is not something to overlook. The offense has missed a 1,000+ yard receiver since Julian Edelman retired in 2021, and if Williams can help fill that void, then Vrabel hit it out of the park with the pick.
That doesn't even include the potential of what Stefon Diggs can do with Drake Maye, or how good DeMario Douglas can be in a Josh McDaniels system, one that caters heavily to a speedy slot receiver.
The offense has so much potential for the 2025 season and could immediately elevate the Patriots to new heights, and help Maye play his best football yet. We already saw what he could do with a less-than-desirable roster around him, so giving him major upgrades can only mean he will be even more impressive in year two.