Weapon the NFL forgot to draft is already turning heads on the Patriots, and Drake Maye is impressed by his early performance

Chism played five college seasons at Eastern Washington, and went undrafted back in April due in large part due to his size. The receiver is 5-10, 195 pounds.

This is what The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote about him for The Beast:

"Chism is a slick route runner with craftsman hands and commendable toughness working into the teeth of the defense. Though he has better play strength than most slots, he is a smaller target and will face a substantial jump in the talent level against NFL defensive backs. He also returned punts in college but averaged just 4.6 yards per attempt. Overall, Chism is the quintessential quicker-than-fast slot receiver, with lagging deep speed but dazzling feet in and out of breaks to give his quarterback quick windows." — Dane Brugler.

Efton Chism finished his five-year college career with 346 receptions for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns. Last year alone, he had 120 receptions, 1,311 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns. It wasn't the highest level of competition, but the production was still impressive.

"Efton is not the biggest. He's not the fastest. He's not the strongest. But I will say he's most committed," Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best told ESPN. "His Valentine is bigger than most people. 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."

To secure Chism on the roster, New England gave him a standard three-year UDFA contract, but it includes $234,000 in guaranteed base salary, along with a $25,000 signing bonus, which is the biggest deal across all the Patriots' 2025 undrafted free agent class. He also receives more in guarantees than the Patriots' seventh-round picks.