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An unexpected surprise at wide receiver has the Patriots rethinking their depth chart.
The New England Patriots are impressed with Efton Chism, an undrafted rookie receiver from Eastern Washington University. Chism was an All-American last year after catching 120 passes for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns across 12 games. Now, he’s become one of the most interesting surprises for the Patriots heading into NFL training camp.
Chad Graff of The Athletic wrote that Patriots starting quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel both had high praise for Chism after he played so well during spring practices. As training camp begins, Efton Chism has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the OTAs.
Chism’s emergence represents a “champagne problem” for the Patriots, who may have too many wide receivers. While Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and DeMario Douglas are already a lock for the season, the Patriots are expecting a hard-fought battle to see who makes the team.
GettyEfton Chism’s performance has forced the Patriots to make some unexpected cuts to the depth chart.
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Efton Chism will be competing with Patriots veterans like Kayshon Boutte, who could already be a lock for the roster, but the word is the team is actively shopping him for a trade. Ja’Lynn Polk is another familiar name for Patriots fans, but he accounted for only 12 catches last season.
A recent report from Alex Kay of Bleacher Report also detailed that Kendrick Bourne, who turns 30 next month, may be the first name on the cutting floor for the Patriots:
“With Bourne soon turning 30 and due to make $5.5 million in base salary, New England can part ways with the aging veteran in exchange for $6.3 million in cap relief and a paltry $1.4 million dead cap hit,” Kay explained.
If Bourne and Boutte are on their way out of New England, the depth chart looks wide open for an undrafted rookie to turn some heads. Efton Chism has received some criticism for a lack of downfield speed and for coming from a smaller university. However, Patriots fans have seen this story before with top receivers from the Bill Belichick era in Julian Edelman and Wes Welker.
GettyEfton Chism broke Eastern Washington University’s catch record previously set by Cooper Kupp.
Efton Chism has drawn comparisons to Edelman, Welker
The Patriots built an NFL dynasty by finding undersized and overlooked slot receivers for Tom Brady. Edelman was a seventh-round pick out of Kent State University and didn’t play receiver in college. Welker went undrafted and was underused by the Dolphins before one game against the Patriots put him on Belichick’s notice.
Chism addressed these comparisons and said: “I love the way they get open vs. man (coverage),” Chism said. “They feel zones very well. I think that’s very special with all of them, seeing when they sit, when they run, certain things like that.
As the Patriots prepare to make some tough decisions, Chism is just grateful for the opportunity. “I think every kid’s dream is to get drafted,” Chism said. “But it is what it is. I’m here now. I got the opportunity…I am looking forward to it…I’m going to keep coming back. Coach (Mike) Vrabel doesn’t care how you got here; it’s the opportunity to be here.”
Will McCormick Will McCormick covers the NFL, NBA, WNBA and MLB for Heavy.com with a focus on the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and Carolina Panthers. McCormick has produced thousands of articles and interviewed more than 500 C-suite executives and military leaders in government contracting. More about Will McCormick
