The New England Patriots held their rookie minicamp this weekend, allowing head coach Mike Vrabel and the rest of his coaching staff to get a first look at this year’s draft class, undrafted free agents, and invite/tryout players.
While most of the attention will be on the Patriots’ draft picks, New England has a loaded UDFA that features 16 players, including former Eastern Washington wide receiver Efton Chism III.
Chism III, who had a stellar collegiate career at Eastern Washington, which produced star Cooper Kupp and current Patriot Kendrick Bourne, has an uphill climb to make the 53-man roster.
There are a few new faces in New England, along with some guys who were rookies last year, looking to prove they belong in the NFL. Despite this circumstance, Chism III signed with the Patriots after the draft, despite getting interest from multiple teams.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots were competing with multiple teams for Chism III, including the Denver Broncos, who reportedly made a strong pitch.
"One reason for the lucrative deal is that the Patriots found themselves in a competitive bidding battle with other teams, which sources familiar with the discussions say included the Broncos as coach Sean Payton made a strong pitch to woo Chism to Denver (one of Chism's six predraft visits)."
Reiss also reported that the former Eastern Washington standout received a three-year deal, including $234K guaranteed base salary and a $25K signing bonus. Chism III’s deal has more guarantees than the Pats’ seventh-round picks, which shows how much the team wanted to sign him.
Last season, the 23-year-old wide receiver had 120 receptions (school record) for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns, which helped him pick up All-Big Sky first team honors.
Chism might not be the biggest guy on the field (5-foot-10, 193 pounds), but he has good hands, can make contested catches, and has good short-area quickness, which is what you need to play in the slot. He also has some special teams experience, which is another way he can make the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
The former Eastern Washington wideout could’ve had an easier path, potentially in Denver, to make the 53-man roster, but he wants the challenge of proving himself to Vrabel and the rest of the staff.