Last month, former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus — high school coach of New England Patriots’ receiver Efton Chism III — declared the team would be “freaking silly” if they failed to find a spot for the undrafted rookie on their initial 53-man roster.
As July begins, Chism is reciprocating Bumpus’ compliments by providing a ringing endorsement for the training program which may help him prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bumpus, the CEO of Monroe, Washington’s Elite Training Academy, coached Chism to a successful career at Monroe High School in which he amassed 166 catches for 2,581 yards with 39 total touchdowns. Yet, Bumpus remains most impressed with Chism’s work ethic, which he claims sets him apart from his peers.
“He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached … And I’ve coached for 14 years at my facility,” Bumpus told WEEI in June. “We have at least 100, 120 athletes come through a year that play football. He just works his butt off, man."
Accordingly, Chism is both proud and eager to share Bumpus’ wisdom, counsel and training methods with those attempting to defy the odds through hard work. Despite not being selected in April’s draft, he is entering the NFL with quite an admirable resume — one which includes training with Bumpus since his days in the sixth grade.
Since that time, the 23-year-old parlayed his high school success into earning All-Big Sky First Team honors in 2024, after finishing the year with an Eastern Washington school record 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also ranked first in the nation by averaging 10 receptions per game. The Kirkland, WA native finished his collegiate career with 346 receptions for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns.
Unsurprisingly, Chism continues to be heralded as a prototypical slot receiver in coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense. Not only does he possess the agility to fluidly change direction, but he also is sure-handed and surprisingly strong at the catch point. In addition to his prowess as a pass catcher, the 5’10” 195-pound receiver is also adept in the game’s third phase — having served as a punt returner, while averaging 21 yards-per-kickoff-return for the Eagles’ special teams unit.
New England’s rookies, including Chism, are required to report by July 19, while veteran players must be in attendance by July 22. The team will conduct their first training camp practices on July 23 on the fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium.
Though he may be on the cusp of realizing his dream of becoming a NFL receiver with the , Chism perhaps best exemplifies his character by paying it forward for the man who helped make it happen.
