Latest news with #EftonChism
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Patriots 'Would Be Freaking Silly' to Leave UDFA Efton Chism Off 53-Man Roster
Patriots 'Would Be Freaking Silly' to Leave UDFA Efton Chism Off 53-Man Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The hype around the New England Patriots' changes this offseason has been palpable, and one undrafted rookie is a big part of that excitement. Efton Chism III, a 23-year-old out of Eastern Washington, signed with the Patriots this offseason. Advertisement Chism has been the talk of the offseason in Foxborough, known for his sure hands and talent as a route runner. His former head coach at Monroe High School, Michael Bumpus, spoke to WEEI 93.7 FM's Meghan Ottolini about Chism. Chism grew up in a small town outside of Seattle, Washington, called Monroe. That is where Bumpus, who played for the Seattle Seahawks for one season, began training Chism in the sixth grade. He knows the young wideout better than anyone else. 'The Patriots would be freaking silly not to put this kid on the 53-man [roster]," Bumpus said. New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) reacts to beating wide receiver Javon Baker (6) in a drill during minicamp at Gillette Canha-Imagn Images So why was Chism an undrafted free agent? Well, he quite literally did not "measure up" to what teams were looking for. Advertisement Chism ran a 4.71s 40-yard dash and measured at just 5'10", 195lbs at the NFL combine. But like Bumpus, NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein also saw something in the wideout while scouting him before the NFL Draft. "The real eye-opener is Chism's blend of play strength and competitiveness. He can make the first tackler miss and will do whatever it takes to pick up yardage," Zierlein said. The biggest obstacles in the way of Chism's road to the 53-man roster are recent draftees like Kyle Williams, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Javon Baker. Add in free agent signings like Stefon Diggs, Kendrick Bourne, and Mack Hollins, and the outlook is even tougher for Chism. Advertisement That list totals seven wide receivers potentially ahead of Chism, but there is a shot he could knock off one or two of those guys. The wideout will likely have to prove himself during training camp and preseason, possibly on special teams, to make the 53-man roster. Related: Patriots' Rookie WR Kyle Williams Gives Four-Word Statement on His Mindset This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Efton Chism was the darling of the Patriots' spring. Now, can he make the team?
Editor's note: This is the first story in a 10-part series looking at the most intriguing New England Patriots players ahead of training camp. It's almost a little too on the nose that the Patriots player stealing headlines and turning heads in spring practices is an unheralded, undersized slot receiver from a small school. Advertisement But it's not hyperbole to say that no player did more to improve his standing on the depth chart than Efton Chism. To put it another way, when we came up with the idea for this series in which we'd zoom in on 10 important players ahead of training camp, Chism wasn't even in consideration. Now he's kicking it off. Mike Vrabel praised the 23-year-old as 'a talented player' who is dedicated and 'studied extremely hard.' The head coach noted that it doesn't take long to figure out which receivers quarterbacks trust — 'it's the ones they target,' he said. That clearly means Drake Maye already trusts Chism, given their work together this spring and the 50 catches Maye estimated Chism made. So as the hype train rolls on for the 5-foot-10 receiver, let's look at how Chism got here, what the future might hold and whether this might just be fool's gold in spring sessions that favor receivers. Chism didn't start playing football until eighth grade. Before that, he focused on baseball and basketball. But he quickly took to football. He and his family watched Eastern Washington games, which meant he was frequently watching Cooper Kupp as a kid. His level of comfort with the program is part of the reason he chose to attend college there. Chism broke out as a sophomore, notching 735 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games, while kicking off a streak of 53 straight games with at least one catch, a mark that broke Kupp's FCS record. He's a slick route runner who easily got open against defenders and led all of the FCS in catches last season with 120 in 12 games. Chism's chances of getting drafted were dampened when he ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, but he posted elite numbers in the short shuttle and three-cone drill, which speak to his shiftiness. After going undrafted, he had a number of suitors and signed with the Patriots on a deal that guaranteed him $234,000, a massive haul for an undrafted player. A week away from the draft and even in a deeper WR class, really excited to see where @EWUFootball WR Efton Chism lands. Elite short shuttle (4.06) and three cone (6.77) make up for perceived lack of top-end speed. Here's him as compared to Trent Taylor (5th round pick), Jeremy… — Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 18, 2025 From the first practice, it was evident Chism was different. Typically, coaches are slow to elevate rookies. But by the time OTAs were halfway complete, Chism was already getting reps with Maye after starting with the third-team offense. He seems like a perfect fit for Josh McDaniels' scheme, which has always utilized shifty slot receivers. McDaniels' offense seems to make up for Chism's lack of top-end speed by having him find soft spots in the coverage and running a bunch of underneath crossing routes. Advertisement Now, it's worth noting that Vrabel wanted cornerbacks to pull up and not go for 50-50 balls during spring practices, but those practices still couldn't have gone much better for Chism. Even if Chism continues to play well in training camp, he has a long way to go to overtake DeMario Douglas on the depth chart. Douglas is the same kind of player as Chism but has more of a track record (he had 621 yards last season) and a lot more speed (he ran a 4.44-second 40). Given the nature of slot receivers, it's unlikely both Douglas and Chism would ever be on the field at the same time. So even if Chism looks more likely than not to make the team at this point, he's still likely to be stuck behind Douglas on the depth chart. Head coaches typically don't hand out the kind of praise in the spring that Vrabel did for Chism. Same for quarterbacks. That's a sign that Chism is more than just a spring darling who will get overwhelmed when the pads come on. If anything, it might be more impressive that Chism was so quickly making an impact in a McDaniels offense that has historically been difficult for rookie receivers to learn. Another reason for optimism is the lack of other options on the depth chart. We're still a long way from cutdown day, but in this rebuild, it seems like Chism brings more long-term potential than a veteran like Kendrick Bourne. Rookie receivers almost always struggle in the first few practices, but Chism's route running was so precise that he was quickly getting open. That could be an especially important trait if the Patriots offensive line struggles and Maye has to quickly get the ball out. As Vrabel stressed several times, OTAs and minicamp are really just a passing clinic. In that environment, shifty slot receivers should stand out. So with Chism, there are two legit concerns. The first is his speed. While he's great in short areas, you'd still like to have slot receivers with some speed — and Douglas is significantly faster. Julian Edelman ran a 4.52-second 40, which is meaningfully faster than Chism. (Edelman also tested much better than Chism in explosive drills like the broad jump and vertical jump.) Advertisement The other area of concern is Chism's durability. He stayed healthy in college, but the physicality in the NFL is a far cry from what he experienced at the FCS level. One of the ugly truths for undrafted guys is you have to stay healthy in training camp to have a chance, so that'll factor into Chism's odds of making the roster, too. In short, can Chism keep this up? If the 53-man roster were based solely on spring practices, Chism would be on the team. But things ramp up in a big way when the pads come on. Can he provide anything as a run blocker? Can he stay healthy? Does his lack of straight-end speed hurt him? Those are all fair questions and reasons to not just pencil Chism onto the roster. Besides, those spring sessions are tailor-made for a player like him. But at the same time, you couldn't have asked for much more than he provided this spring.
Boston Globe
03-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Patriots mailbag: Readers want to know more about the Tush Push, as well as players impressing at OTA practices
By any metric you want to use, the Eagles have a world-class offensive line that gets a consistent push, particularly in short-yardage situations. They also have a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who can execute it perfectly, never skips leg day (there's plenty of drive on his part), and is willing to take the punishment that comes with it. Advertisement It's worth noting, however, that while Philadelphia led the league with 22 conversions on third/fourth and 1 in 2024, the Eagles' 81 percent success rate was fourth among teams with at least 12 attempts: Jayden Daniels and the Commanders (12 for 12, 100 percent), Josh Allen and the Bills (17 of 18, 94 percent), and Bo Nix and the Broncos (12-for-14, 86 percent) all converted at a higher rate than the Eagles. While they weren't using Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up What's the difference between a quarterback sneak, which Tom Brady was so good at, and the current conversation around the Tush Push? — Thomas Walter, Natick An important differentiation. Both take a physical offensive line, but what Brady did so well was tuck himself into the A-gap between the guard and center and lunge forward. With the Tush Push, tight ends and/or running backs line up behind the quarterback and give him a push once the ball is snapped to have a better chance at success. Advertisement Former Patriot Tom Brady had great success with the quarterback sneak. The Boston Globe/Globe Freelance Related : Is there an undrafted rookie that's surprised you during the OTAs? — Chuck Blend, via email We've only seen two of the OTA practices, but it's hard not to be impressed by wide receiver Efton Chism. It's early, the routes are mostly undefended, and players are in T-shirts and shorts, but he's done well with the reps he's been given. He's quick, attacks the ball, and hasn't looked overwhelmed. He also returned punts during special teams work. He needs to continue to ascend, but he's had a good start. He wasn't an undrafted free agent, but a Day 3 pick worth including in this conversation is safety Craig Woodson. The fourth-rounder out of Cal, while he's been moved around a bit, looks comfortable as a center fielder. It'll be interesting how Woodson will be deployed alongside Jaylinn Hawkins and Dell Pettus, but he's certainly made his case to be part of the rotation at training camp. Wide receiver Efton Chism has opened eyes in his early days as a Patriot. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff Christopher Price can be reached at
