2020 NFL Draft: Titans UDFA WR Kyle Williams Interview

The Titans recently confirmed the signing of 14 un-drafted free agents, and former Arizona State wide receiver Kyle Williams is among them. There’s a chance for one of these un-drafted wide receivers to make the back-end of the Titans roster, and Williams has as good of a chance as any of them.

Williams recently spoke with MCM about how he formed a relationship with the Titans throughout this process, what he brings to the table, and his wishes to one day follow in the footsteps of... former Titans safety Myron Rolle.

JM: Congratulations on signing with the Titans as an un-drafted free agent. You must be excited for the opportunity.

KW: Thank you, I’m very excited. It’s a good opportunity for me with the right franchise.

JM: How did the opportunity with the Titans come about?

KW: It came in a traditional way. You only get one shot to go through this process. The Titans liked what they saw from me on film. They were in contact with my agent. They liked me and decided that they wanted to take a chance on me.

JM: Did you have any direct contact with them prior to the draft?

KW: Yeah, I did. We spoke a few times before the draft. It’s kind of hard to tell how much they liked me. Everybody holds their cards close to their chest during that time of year. I knew that they liked me, but I was a bit of an unknown. I didn’t know for sure what anybody really thought of me. We had a few conversations before the draft.

JM: Were those conversations held via FaceTime or Zoom calls?

KW: Yeah, they were. I had a FaceTime meeting with them. I also spoke to a few people from the organization on the telephone. I believe I had my first contact with them via one of their scouts, T.J. Earley. I spoke to their wide receivers coach Rob Moore as well. I had a few conversations with their special teams assistants as well.

JM: That’s great. I imagine you had some other offers on the table. Why did you choose Tennessee?

KW: They seemed to really like me here in Tennessee. My agent and I looked around the league. Looking at the competition down here, we felt like it was a good spot for me. We believe that it gives me the best opportunity to compete for a job.

JM: How would you describe your skill-set as a receiver?

KW: I’m a fast, versatile receiver. I’m very dependable. You can line me up anywhere and I’m going to do my job. That’s my style of play, that’s what I aim to do on a snap-by-snap basis. I still have a lot of room to grow. I’m always trying to get better. I don’t think that I’m the best player ever or anything like that. I’m always looking to improve. I take a lot of pride in being a dependable player. I’m always going to be ready and available to play hard.

JM: I love that. Do you have a favorite route to run?

KW: I love route running in general. To be honest with you, I try not to think too much about that. I fear that if I start putting one or two routes in my head as my favorites, I don’t want to make it seem like the other routes are less fun. I enjoy running every single route. I do enjoy a good old fashioned deep route though. I can run the go ball or a deep out. I like showcasing my speed.

JM: I like that. Earlier you mentioned having some discussions with the Titans special teams coaches. What are you comfortable doing on special teams?

KW: I’m comfortable with a lot of things on special teams. I’ve been used as a kick returner. I can cover kicks, I can block kicks. I might even go out there and field a few punts. I honestly just want to be of great use to the team. Wherever [special teams] coach [Craig] Aukerman wants me to play, I’m going to play there and give it my best shot.

JM: I love that. A shoulder injury that you suffered in college lead to a relationship with the Arizona State team physician. You continued to show interest in medicine from that day forward, and you actually have aspirations to become a surgeon one day. That’s some incredible stuff right there.

KW: I know it sounds like a crazy Plan B, but that’s my Plan B after football. I’m very passionate about medicine and health care in general. Right now, I’m in the NFL and that’s where my focus currently is. I’ll cross that path when the time comes. For now, I’m just trying to be the best Tennessee Titan that I can be.

JM: That makes sense. How much more schooling would you require if you did decide to pursue a career as a surgeon?

KW: To become a doctor, I’d be looking at four years of medical school and then depending on the type of residency, it would be around five more years after that. I like to just refer to it as a 10 year block of time. I’d be looking at 10 years at the conclusion of my football career.

JM: You wouldn’t be the first one to do it. Former Tennessee Titans safety Myron Rolle is currently working as a surgeon. He has an incredible story.

KW: I’ve heard his story before. I have a connection with him via social media. I need to reach out to Myron Rolle. That’s a crazy story.

JM: You’ve played alongside a couple of first-round wide receivers in N’Keal Harry and Brandon Aiyuk. What did playing alongside those guys do for your development?

KW: Playing alongside those two guys showed me what it took to become that caliber of receiver. We learned a lot from one another. I enjoyed playing with both of those guys. It’s kind of crazy. I got a little lost in the music playing next to those guys. It’s crazy to think that I was never a No. 1 receiver throughout my time at Arizona State. I always had either N’Keal or Brandon next to me. It was honestly a fun experience though. They’re great ball players, and even better dudes.

JM: I love that. Is there one Titan teammate that you can’t wait to meet, practice against or learn from?

KW: There’s a lot of them. I like A.J. Brown’s game. I have a lot of respect for his game. I love his route running. He runs routes with so much power. Adam Humphries is another guy that jumps out at me when I look at their receiver room. Corey Davis is another one. There’s a lot of depth. In terms of practicing against guys, I know that Kareem Orr is down there. I used to practice against him back when he was at Arizona State. This was before he went to Chattanooga. I’m excited to rekindle with him. I know that Malcolm Butler is down there as well. I saw that they recently signed Jonathan Joseph. I’m excited to get the competition going. I have a chance to go up against some high caliber cornerbacks in practice.

JM: That’s a great answer. I’ve appreciated your time today, Kyle. In closing, what are your goals and aspirations like over these next few months?

KW: My goal is to obviously secure that roster spot. I’m going to play hard and leave the rest up to God. I’m going to do my part to prepare and train over the summer. When we get to camp, I’ll be ready to roll. We’ll see where the chips fall.