New England Patriots receiver Kyle Williams and his fellow rookies visited the Boston Celtics’ team headquarters with head coach Mike Vrabel recently. Williams got some advice from Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Kyle Williams Learns From Celtics’ Brad Stevens and Joe Mazzulla
Williams was hoping to talk to Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but instead heeded some advice from the Celtics’ decision-makers.
“Everything is a mindset,” Williams said. “Mindset will take you further than what talent and skill can do. If you carry it throughout you everyday life — how you do anything is how you do everything.”
“It’s huge,” Williams said of the professional sports landscape in Boston. “You see Patriots everywhere. You see Celtics everywhere. Just seeing the love this town has for sports, it makes you want to give back and compete harder.”
NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice forecasted Williams as being an all-rookie honoree.
“Williams is indeed a fun watch, exhibiting the kind of dynamism and swagger that lead you to believe he can make a smooth transition to the league,” Filice wrote. “There’s a lot of reason to believe he could wind up as a third-round steal who significantly nurtures the growth of Drake Maye.”
NESN’s George Balekji and Annabelle Hasselbeck dove analyzed that prediction Friday on “Foxboro Rush.”
“That’s a stacked room that you just named, so, yeah, it’s a little surprising to see the third-rounder in this group of 11, but it would be great,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s a really talented wide receiver room, but the big question we’ve been asking all offseason (is), ‘Who’s gonna step up?'”
Hasselbeck pointed to Williams’ body of work in college as an indicator that he can star for Vrabel’s team. Williams joined the Cougars as a UNLV transfer, then caught 131 passes for 2,041 yards and 20 touchdowns over 25 games.
Williams’ seven 100-yard games are tied for the 10th-most in Washington State history.
“He’s toasted guys like Travis Hunter on the film,” Hasselbeck said. “Those are some of his highlight reels. You definitely know he has some of that ability to get open and make plays. And Steve Smith, the old Carolina Panthers wide receiver, even said that he reminds him of himself. So definitely a lot of high praise for Kyle Williams.”
Maye enters his second professional season hoping for a more well-rounded receiver room. The Patriots also added veteran Stefon Diggs this offseason.