Patriots rookie WR torched Travis Hunter on this one-on-one route
The New England Patriots drafted Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams with the 69th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft on Friday night.
Williams was a big-time playmaker at the collegiate level, and he proved it with multiple highlight reel plays, including winning a one-on-one matchup against top-two draft pick and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
Williams can be seen selling an inside route, cutting back outside and running right by Hunter for an easy touchdown reception. It was plays like that one that add to the narrative that Williams is one of the best pure separators in this entire draft class.
Williams recorded 70 catches for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. He was a dynamic playmaker for the Cougars, and the expectation is that he'll be the same for the Patriots and second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
At the very least, he'll be a solid No. 2 option across from four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs. The wide receiver position in New England that has long been considered a major weakness for the team is beginning to show signs of life once again.
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USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Seven bold possibilities for 2025 college football season that aren't crazy
If you're looking for crazy preseason takes on the 2025 college football season, cue up any of Diego Pavia's recent interviews. Vanderbilt's cocksure quarterback recently left Paul Finebaum of the SEC Network speechless after Pavia confidently declared Vanderbilt a national championship contender, on the heels of going 7-6 last season. Credit Pavia for managing that claim with a straight face. Amused though I am by Pavia's boasts, I'm drawing the line in this space short of crazy and offering some bold – but not crazy – possibilities that could happen this season, before issuing a verdict on whether each of these bold possibilities will come to fruition. Bold possibilities for 2025 college football season 1. A team ranked outside the top five will win the national title Why this counts as a bold take: Each of the past five national champions were ranked in the preseason top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll. Why this take isn't crazy: Potential party crashers populate the Nos. 6 through 10 spots in the coaches poll: No. 6 Clemson: The Tigers bring back one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik, amid a swath of returning production. They're armed with an elite defensive line. No. 7 Oregon: The Ducks totaled 45 victories the past four seasons. They offer good value at this position in the rankings. No. 8 Alabama: It's Alabama. Need I say more? Never count out a program that consistently signs ballyhooed recruiting classes. No. 9 LSU: The Tigers will pair a top-shelf quarterback, Garrett Nussmeier, with the nation's most impressive transfer class. No. 10 Miami: If Carson Beck regains his 2023 form, the Hurricanes become dangerous. What I think will happen: No. 1 Texas will win the national championship behind Arch Manning. 2. A quarterback won't win the Heisman Trophy Why this counts as a bold take: A quarterback won the Heisman in 12 of the past 15 years, and there's no shortage of quarterback star power, from Nussmeier to Klubnik to Beck to Manning to Penn State's Drew Allar and beyond. Why this take isn't crazy: Good though the crop of quarterbacks is, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the nation's most incomparable player. He'll captivate voters while starring for a team that will remain among the nation's elite. What I think will happen: I'm predicting this bold take will become reality. Smith will win the Heisman. 3. Arch Manning will not lead the SEC in passing yards Why this counts as a bold take: Few players have received as much hype as Manning, who possesses the talent to live up to his surname. Why this take isn't crazy: Texas likely will lean on a balanced offensive approach that incorporates running backs Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter working behind a dependable offensive line. What I think will happen: Manning will enjoy a fine season. I like his chances to be among the Heisman finalists, but Nussmeier will lead the SEC in passing yards. He's the nation's only returning quarterback who passed for 4,000 yards last year, and LSU is loaded with standout wide receivers. 4. Three preseason unranked teams will make the playoff Why this counts as a bold take: This prediction depends on multiple dark horses emerging, like Indiana and Arizona State did in 2024. Why this take isn't crazy: Last year, four teams unranked in the preseason made the playoff, with Boise State and SMU joining Indiana and Arizona State. This bold take doesn't require 2025 to match the zaniness of last season, only for it to come close. Boise State is the only ranked Group of Five team, so if any team other than the Broncos claims the Group of Five's automatic bid, that's a start toward three unranked teams qualifying. The Big 12 remains unpredictable, and 12 of its 16 teams begin unranked. Unranked teams like Oklahoma, Baylor, Missouri and Nebraska intrigue me as playoff sleepers. What I think will happen: Two teams unranked in the preseason will make the playoff. 5. Four SEC schools will make coaching changes Why this counts as a bold take: SEC firings have tapered off the past few years after a particularly active coaching carousel in 2020. Large buyouts and schools' financial demands to pay athletes create more pause toward coaching changes. Why this take isn't crazy: A handful of SEC coaches are on the hot seat, from Arkansas' Sam Pittman to Auburn's Hugh Freeze. Oklahoma's Brent Venables and Florida's Billy Napier encounter pivotal seasons, while staring down the nation's two toughest schedules. Their teams could be better, but their rugged schedules might limit win-loss improvement. Kentucky has lost momentum under Mark Stoops, although he's among embattled coaches who enjoy the protection of an immense buyout. No SEC coaches were fired last season. That's groundwork for a much more active coaching carousel this year. What I think will happen: Two SEC coaches will be fired, but a few others will survive the heat. 6. The Big Ten will qualify more playoff teams than the SEC Why this counts as a bold take: The SEC has dominated the College Football Playoff era, and nine SEC teams are ranked in the preseason coaches poll, compared to six ranked Big Ten teams. Why this take isn't crazy: The Big Ten's cream the past two seasons proved sweeter than the SEC's. The SEC enjoys an edge in terms of quality depth, but the Big Ten touts national title contenders in Penn State and Ohio State. Also, Michigan should improve after the arrival of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood. If last year serves as a guide to selecting the 12-team playoff, then it's a race to finishing 10-2 or better. The Big Ten's softer underbelly becomes an advantage to veteran teams like Illinois, which can pursue a playoff bid while facing only two teams ranked in the preseason poll. Compare that to Florida, which will face seven teams ranked in the preseason. If the playoff doubled in size to 24 teams, the SEC's depth would allow it to commandeer the playoff, but in the playoff's current form, the Big Ten is well positioned with a couple of elite teams and a few others equipped to chase 10-2. What I think will happen: The SEC will rebound after a bit of a down season and will qualify as many or more playoff teams as the Big Ten. 7. The national championship will be SEC vs. SEC Why this counts as a bold take: The SEC dominated the four-team playoff era, but the Big Ten has ruled the past two seasons, and the SEC accounted for just 25% of inaugural 12-team playoff bracket. The Big Ten possesses two elite teams in Ohio State and Penn State, and Clemson and Notre Dame profile as championship contenders, too. Why this take isn't crazy: The SEC features no shortage of playoff contenders. The preseason polls tell you that. The conference also includes more national championship contenders than any other league, with Texas, Georgia, Alabama and LSU headlining that list. The playoff's restructured bye rules will allow multiple teams from the same conference to receive first-round byes and make it easier for one conference to push two teams into the national championship. What I think will happen: The SEC will produce the national champion, but not the national runner-up. Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@ and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
Washington Post
41 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Joe Burrow directs two touchdown drives, Bengals outlast Jayden Daniels' Commanders for 31-17 win
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Why it wouldn't make sense for Patriots to trade a top pick for Hendrickson, McLaurin
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Success for the Patriots this season isn't going to be defined by wins. They've been victorious in just eight of their last 35 games. Because of that, expectations are manageable for Vrabel in his first season. What matters more is that he builds a culture, he gets the team to play disciplined football and second-year quarterback Drake Maye takes a meaningful step forward. Those are the biggest factors in determining whether the 2025 season is a success. Trading for McLaurin or Hendrickson wouldn't account for massive boosts in any of those areas, although each would cost quite a bit. The idea is intriguing, of course. Wide receiver and edge rusher are arguably the Patriots' two biggest needs. Eliot Wolf says the Patriots would be willing to trade away a 1st or 2nd-round pick if it was best for the team. Worth noting with big names out there still looking for deals. Patriots are at the top of the NFL in available cap space (if you care about that sort of thing). — Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 18, 2025 But trading for either of them makes more sense for a team closer to competing for a Super Bowl, not a Patriots team that isn't expected to compete for a conference title in 2025. The Pats have the money and cap space to improve the roster next offseason, and sticking to their guns now gives their young players a chance to make an impression this season. Maybe rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams plays great and lessens the need at that position. Maybe Keion White steps up as an edge rusher. Maybe K'Lavon Chaisson's strong offseason turns into a breakout performance. Or maybe rookie Bradyn Swinson looks like a Day 3 steal on the edge. It's not just that trading for McLaurin or Hendrickson would cost a valuable draft pick, but more that the whole reason they want trades in the first place is because they want top-of-market money and multiyear deals. When you have a quarterback on a rookie contract, like the Patriots do, that's the time to spend big on veterans to support the QB. But you'd ideally do that for younger players — i.e., not in their 30s — you'd be acquiring more than three weeks before the start of an important season. McLaurin turns 30 next month, meaning his prime is probably behind him. Hendrickson turns 31 in December. If the Patriots were in a great cap position and had a roster likely to yield double-digit wins, perhaps one would make sense. Advertisement But this late in the offseason, it can be difficult to mix in a new player, especially considering McLaurin and Hendrickson haven't been practicing. (McLaurin was activated off the PUP list over the weekend.) A smaller move — like via the waiver wire next week — that brought in a depth linebacker, tight end or defensive tackle might make more sense. But Wolf insisted Monday that he and his staff would consider a trade for a big-name player. 'We're talking to all 31 teams and trying to do what's best for us,' Wolf said. 'I think those things are often a lot more complicated than the fans and some others would like to make you believe. But if there is something we think can help us, we'd definitely be open to it.' As for why the Patriots would be willing to use a first- or second-round pick, Wolf said, 'Just doing what's best for the team. If there's a player out there we feel can help us, and it costs that, then we would do that.' But at the risk of throwing cold water on the hot takes that resulted from Wolf's comments, the Patriots aren't likely to make a big trade before the season begins. So far, the group of edge rushers has had some ups and downs, but the Patriots want to see what they have, especially opposite Harold Landry with White, Chaisson and Swinson all competing for reps. Their wide receiver corps isn't going to scare many teams and likely needs reinforcements next offseason, but giving a 30-year-old receiver like McLaurin $30 million a year seems unwise even with plenty of cap space to burn. Wolf's comments were a bit surprising and at least left open the door for something more exciting. He could've easily said the Patriots are excited about the team they have, but that they'll do their due diligence on any potentially available player. But even if Wolf kept the possibility open, it doesn't seem likely — or make much sense — for the Patriots to take a big swing on a high-profile trade ahead of Week 1. (Photos: Jeff Dean and Maddie Meyer / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
