Patriots rep admits it'll be hard keeping standout rookie UDFA off roster
Patriots rep admits it'll be hard keeping standout rookie UDFA off roster
New England Patriots undrafted rookie Efton Chism III is making the sort of waves no one expected this early in the offseason work. Training camp hasn't even started, and it is already obvious that the former Eastern Washington standout is going to be hard to keep off the final roster.
Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard believes it's time to start taking Chism seriously after watching him rack up receptions in competitive 11-on-11s during organized team activities (OTAs). There are currently 12 receivers on the Patriots' roster.
Even if that number is cut in half after training camp, it's hard to see Chism failing to make the team.
"I think I've used the phrase, 'It's going to be hard to keep [Chism] off the roster'. I actually heard that exact phrasing from somebody the other day after practice, somebody with the Patriots," Bedard said on the Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast. "Look, the guy gets open really well quickly, and he catches the ball. There was one stretch, I think it was four passes out of like six that he caught in the practice at the point where I looked over at [NBC Sports Boston's] Phil Perry, and I was like, 'Phil, are they going to throw to anybody else in this practice?'"
Chism had seven receptions on seven targets at Monday's open OTAs practice.
There are many similarities in his style of play to former Patriots greats, like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. He's scrappy in the slot with quick feet and a knack for peeling away from defenders, getting open and catching the ball.
His ability to separate consistently stands out immediately in an offense that lacked true separators last season. It's only the month of June, and the Chism hype train is full steam ahead for mandatory minicamp and training camp.
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