It's not often that a player will have such a standout spring during OTAs and minicamp that they will dominate the headlines for their team, but that was the case with UDFA receiver Efton Chism III with the Patriots. Although he's considered undersized and was widely overlooked during the draft, he's already looking like a star in the making for a team that has desperately needed that kind of potential in their receiving corps.
Chism was a standout performer in the spring, regardless of which quarterback he was working with. He stood out amongst his rookie peers, which wasn't expected to be easy given how highly regarded the 2025 class has been over the past two months.
But he's managed to already sneak onto many analysts' and fans' roster projections, with even his former coach, Michael Bumpus, claiming the Patriots "would be freaking silly" not to have him on the team this fall.
Based on how much he was included in the offense this spring and his reliability being on full display, it's easy to agree with him well before training camp even begins. It's a nightmare scenario for those who don't want to see the Patriots bounce back so quickly, but it's already looking like Drake Maye will have his scrappy slot receiver for the foreseeable future.
Efton Chism is already being compared to some legendary Patriots
There are still plenty of practices left to be had before any assumption about a player's future can realistically be made, especially when discussing someone like Chism, who came to the team as an undrafted player. However, the impression he has made on the team so far is difficult to overlook, resulting in many believing he has already secured a spot on the roster well before training camp begins.
Part of that can also be attributed to his potential, which has many analysts, including former player Brian Baldinger, suggesting he can be similar to Patriots legends, like Julian Edelman and Wes Welker. If that is even half accurate, OC Josh McDaniels has his next slot receiver to make into a star for Maye.
"This guy is turning heads in Foxborough. I don't know if he's Julian Edelman. I don't know if he's Wes Welker. But he sure plays the game like those guys did, in the way that those guys played. They might have a slot receiver coming out of Eastern Washington, undrafted free agent."
.@Patriots @EftonChism @EWUFootball have the PATS found themselves their slot receiver? #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/v5k1EgczTf
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) June 16, 2025
If the Patriots can get even half of the kind of player that Edelman or Welker were out of Chism, they might have struck gold with another young player.
Chism adds another exciting element to look forward to when the team returns for training camp next month. The excitement surrounding the 2025 team has been building since Mike Vrabel was hired as Jerod Mayo's successor, and it has only intensified in the months since, thanks to the impressive moves the new regime has made to turn the team around.
It wasn't projected to be a single-season effort, and although we haven't seen the fruits of their labor yet, the Patriots look much closer to a well-rounded and capable team than they have since Tom Brady left in 2020. That's quite the accomplishment for the new staff already.
It will only look even better if a player like Chism can prove to be a valuable asset to the team moving forward.