The San Francisco 49ers may select a wide receiver in the NFL Draft.
If they draft Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams, fans will immediately have horrific flashbacks based on the name alone.
The name Kyle Williams will immediately transport most Niners fans back to Jan. 22, 2012 when the Niners took on the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game. San Francisco lost 20-17, and a big part of the reason was because of punt returner Kyle Williams. He muffed two punts, one in the fourth quarter, which led to a Giants touchdown, and another in overtime that led to the Giants kicking the game-winning field goal.
Those are dark memories for 49ers fans, and if they were to draft the wide receiver out of Washington State, there would certainly be the initial reaction: "Oh no, not another Kyle Williams!"
That would be an unfair reaction, though. Williams had a solid collegiate career for the Cougars, especially in 2024. In his final year of college he caught 70 passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Williams has impressive speed and has proven to be a reliable deep threat. That does not necessarily match what the Niners do on offense now, but it could give head coach and offensive play-caller Kyle Shanahan a fun new toy to play with.
A different Kyle Williams for the 49ers? Perhaps
Wide receiver may not be San Francisco's biggest need in the NFL Draft, but it could be a sneaky need because of the injury to Brandon Aiyuk, which has left his availability for Week 1 in question.
As of right now, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall are the top two wideouts on San Francisco's depth chart. Those are two solid options, but San Francisco may want a little more depth going into the season.
The 49ers also have Jacob Cowing, and he is another speed threat, so drafting Williams could be somewhat redundant. Yet Cowing did not get a ton of playing time last year, so if Shanahan does not trust him yet, maybe bringing in a new speed threat to compete with the second-year receiver could be a good option.
Williams had a top-30 visit with the Niners, so he is a player who is on their radar, or at least they want other teams to think he is on their radar.
If the 49ers do end up drafting him, we know the initial reaction will be to bring up one of the darker moments in franchise history. Yet, the Washington State Kyle Williams could end up being a solid addition. Plus, how fitting would it be if the 49ers drafted him and ended up winning a Super Bowl with a different Kyle Williams on the team when the last 13 years of heartbreak started with a Kyle Williams?
That would be poetic justice.