New England Patriots - NESN.com
Just like everyone else around the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel has taken notice of Efton Chism III.
The undrafted rookie wide receiver made a resounding case for a roster spot during Saturday’s preseason game. Chism secured all six of his targets for 71 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 20-12 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Vrabel assessed Chism’s performance during his post-game press conference.
“It doesn’t matter how you get here. The only thing that matters is what you do when you’re here, and I think that’s another great example of that,” Vrabel said. “Chis’, when given opportunities, has taken advantage of them. We’ve talked about his play strength last week, and I would say that continued to be true this week.”
Chism delivered another exceptional outing after tallying a team-high 50 receiving yards in New England’s preseason opener. The 23-year-old converted a 3rd-and-11 and made multiple Vikings defenders miss to score a 12-yard touchdown on another third down.
Chism caught all six balls from Joshua Dobbs, who replaced Drake Maye after two drives. The Patriots starting quarterback still loves what he’s seen from the 5-foot-10 wideout this summer.
“He just keeps on showing up. I think that’s the theme for him,” Maye said after the game. “It was throughout camp, throughout joint practices, throughout preseason games. He got in the end zone again tonight, and he just keeps showing up.”
Chism has drawn rave reviews throughout training camp, and it’s getting increasingly harder to leave him off the 53-man roster. He’ll get one more chance to impress Vrabel when the Patriots conclude their preseason against the New York Giants on Thursday night.
