The New England Patriots have had a need at receiver ever since Julian Edelman retired in 2020. The N'Keal Harry and Tyquan Thornton experiments failed, and the team's best push to capture a true number one wideout comes in the form of 31-year-old Stefon Diggs after suffering an ACL injury. Aside from Diggs, the team brought in veteran Mack Hollins along with Kyle Williams, a third-round selection in April's draft.
All eyes will be on this position group when training camp officially begins on July 22nd at Gillette Stadium. The wideout room features unique players with different skillsets that Josh McDaniels will look to utilize over the course of the season. In terms of age, there's a fair mix of veterans and young guns at the position. Diggs, Hollins, and Bourne will all be 30-plus years old when the season begins. On the other end, three (Polk, Baker, and Williams) have been drafted within the past 15 months.
Then you have perhaps the biggest underdog story that could come to fruition during Patriots training camp. Fans have been in touch with Efton Chism III's work ethic during spring practices, and he has the looks of the next great Patriots slot receiver. His play in camp, after already connecting multiple times with Drake Maye over the course of the spring, could ultimately force another young Pats wideout off the 53-man roster.
Javon Baker in Danger of Being Cut Entering Patriots Training Camp
Baker, 23, was the Patriots' fourth-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. He, along with Ja'lynn Polk, were selected as wideouts that could come in and immediately mesh with No.3 overall pick Drake Maye in their rookie seasons together.
The speedy Baker spent two seasons at Alabama, didn't earn much playing time, and then transferred to the University of Central Florida for his junior and senior seasons. Upon his arrival at UCF, Baker tallied 56 receptions for 796 yards and five touchdowns during his junior season.
Baker's true breakout occurred during his senior season, when UCF became a Big 12 school. Across 13 games, the Atlanta native put up a 52/1139/7 stat line. Baker's 21.9 yards per catch was among the nation's best, as he displayed serious deep ball and run-after-catch abilities.
Unfortunately for Baker, his rookie season left much to be desired as the whole Patriots offense struggled. Just one reception for 12 yards was made across 11 games played, and he even was disciplined by Jerod Mayo before the season began.
Fast forward to now, and he'll be battling Kendrick Bourne, fellow sophomore wideout Ja'lynn Polk, and the aforementioned Chism III for one of the last receiver spots on the roster.
Baker has struggled with drops ever since putting on a Patriots uniform, while Chism III could be one of the more sure-handed players that Patriots fans became accustomed to seeing with Edelman, Welker, and Amendola.
Very pumped for the summer of Efton Chism to begin this Patriots training camp.
— BosNewsNow (@BosNewsNow_) July 15, 2025
Twitchy, great route runner, trustworthy hands, shifty & undersized. Sounds like a typical slot for a Josh McDaniels offense. Could be a Jakobi Meyers esque safety blanket for Drake Maye. pic.twitter.com/6qby1LmJJs
Last season at Eastern Washington, Chism III finished first in receptions (120) and second in receiving yards (1311) among FCS wideouts.
Baker is known as a speed threat, but the Patriots took another speedster in Kyle Williams, who is pretty much a lock to make the roster. At 6-foot-1, Baker is not the tallest either, with Diggs (6-foot), Hollins (6-foot-4), and Bourne (6-foot-1) all better options on the outside at this point.
Even with not knowing how many receivers the Patriots will keep on the roster, Baker seems to be the odd man out in every scenario. There are better outside receivers on the roster, and Baker failed to establish a connection with Maye when he had the chance. Don't be surprised if Efton Chism III beats out Baker for the final receiver spot in the 53-man group.