Patriots' Compelling UDFA WR Earns Striking NFL Comparison

The New England Patriots definitely needed to address their weak receiving corps this offseason, and they have done that by signing Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency and selecting Kyle Williams in the NFL Draft. But do the Patriots also have a major sleeper on their hands?

It appears that might be the case, as they signed undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism III, and the Eastern Washington product is already drawing massive buzz following rookie minicamp.

So who is Chism being compared to? None other than another Eastern Washington alum, NFL superstar Cooper Kupp.

"The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Chism is known for, among other things, breaking Cooper Kupp's FCS record with a catch in 53 straight games," wrote ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Following in Kupp's footsteps at Eastern Washington, he excelled as an elusive slot option by totaling 346 receptions for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns, often utilized as an extension of the running game by catching short passes and then making defenders miss."

Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best also sees Kupp in Chism, which is not surprising considering that Best served as offensive coordinator during Kupp's stay with the Eagles.

"Efton is not the biggest. He's not the fastest. He's not the strongest. But I will say he's most committed -- his Valentine is bigger than most people," Best said, per Reiss. "His care of his teammates is bigger than most people. When you have a chip on your shoulder, that's real and you carry it for life. That's what he did in high school to get to college. He wasn't a highly recruited kid out of high school. No FBS offers, much like Coop."

Chism hauled in 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns during his final season at Eastern Washington, but due to his lack of athleticism and the fact that his production came against questionable competition, he went undrafted.

Kupp was a third-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams back in 2017, and in 2021, he won the wide receiver triple crown.

Needless to say, if Chism develops into anything close to Kupp, New England will be very satisfied.