Who is Efton Chism III, the Patriots’ Leading Preseason Receiver?

If you’re like me, you follow a good few Patriots fan/news accounts on Instagram. A few months ago, while looking at the captions and comments of minicamp, player signing, and coach interview posts, I began to see the name Efton Chism mentioned. Some fans were already getting excited about his potential and calling him the “next Cooper Kupp”, but many thought the road to a roster spot was unrealistic for him.

Fast forward to the present day, and the undrafted rookie wide receiver is guaranteed a spot on the team. Fans of all teams are aware of him, and he’s owned in over 50 percent of dynasty leagues (according to Sleeper). That’s quite the jump in just a few months, so what happened to jolt a no-name into relevance?

Chism wasn’t a sought-after recruit out of high school, receiving no FBS offers. He wound up at Eastern Washington University, known for producing productive receivers Cooper Kupp and Kendrick Bourne in the last decade. His college career was characterized by steady improvement: he totaled more receptions in each season than in the last, culminating in a 120-reception, 1300-yard, 13-touchdown year that earned him all-American honors [ESPN]. His 120 receptions broke the school record, previously held by, you guessed it, Cooper Kupp.

But Kupp comparisons and senior year production aren’t enough to make a roster, so what pushed him over the edge? As his college head coach, Aaron Best said, “Efton is not the biggest. He's not the fastest. He's not the strongest. But I will say he's most committed” [Mike Reiss, ESPN]. He didn’t blow away training camp onlookers with his speed or strength, but instead by making at least one play every day with very few mistakes. Teammates have praised Efton for wanting to learn and taking any advice he can get from veterans, and being a QB-friendly target on third-downs in practice [Patriots.com].

Going into his first preseason game, expectations were high for the undrafted rookie who was garnering more hype than any Patriots day-three selection. Chism still found a way to surpass them, as detailed in my article about the game. He led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and in his second preseason game, he built on his breakout performance. He again led the team in all three categories, this time with 71 yards and an electric touchdown where he juked a defender and broke two tackles before diving across the goal line. 

Six years ago, Efton Chism III had no FBS offers. Now, he is nearly guaranteed to make a 53-man NFL roster and is poised to play a role on both offense and special teams. It takes a special type of determination to commit to steady improvement as a means to reaching the top. If Chism’s former coaches and consistent performance suggest anything, it’s that he has that unique trait. I can’t wait to see what heights Chism’s career can reach.