FOXBOROUGH – The alarm clock sounds at 5 a.m. For Efton Chism III, there’s no time to be wasted.
As the son of a Marine Corps veteran and a schoolteacher, he understands the importance of a strong regimen. It’s why he rises early. It’s why he walks into Gillette Stadium at 5:50 a.m. on most mornings.
Chism enters the building with veteran receiver Mack Hollins and then makes his way to Patriots receiver coach Todd Downing’s office. The rookie sits down with a notebook.
“He wants to sit there and watch me build the PowerPoint for the meeting that day,” Downing said. “Just to get extra time or extra rep, the mental processing for the system.”
Before taking a detailed series of notes, Chism grabs a pen and writes on the upper right corner of the page. It’s here that he inscribes his goals. At Eastern Washington, he wrote four objectives: NFL. All-American, Walter Payton (Award). Legend.
After college, upon signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent, Chism updated his goals:
NFL. 53. Monroe. Legend.
Since the start of the season, Chism’s goal has changed slightly.
“Right now, it says 46,” Chism said.
That number represents the game-day roster. Teams historically dressed 46 players. With practice squad elevations, the rule changed to 48. Behind five receivers on the depth chart, Chism has been the odd man out this season.
This 23-year-old rookie has a history of overcoming expectations. Those who know him believe it’s only a matter of time before he does the same in New England.
Chism’s path
The athleticism was always there. The same went for his desire to play football.
For Efton Chism III, that dream had to wait.
Growing up in Monroe, Wash., his father, Efton Chism II, had a plan. He and his best friend, Derek Strey — who starred at Eastern Washington and played briefly in the NFL — didn’t start football until eighth grade, and they wanted Efton to follow the same path.
“Our moms would only let us play when we were in eighth grade. They didn’t want us to get hurt,” Chism II said. “They said, ‘Hey, go chase the soccer ball around. Go work on hand-eye coordination, playing baseball, and all that stuff.’ So honestly, that’s what we did with Efton. And his uncle Derek agreed with that too, because it worked out well for him.”
Chism excelled at soccer, baseball, basketball, and track and field. As he developed into an outstanding athlete, the family’s schedule filled up quickly.
The kid never wanted a break. He didn’t want to slow down. One team wasn’t enough. He wanted to play on several. Coaches would fight for Chism to specialize in their spot, but that was never going to happen.
“He doesn’t have an off button,” Chism II said. “He just has something different. He saw his family work hard, but there was just something that if he had a goal and he wanted to be very competitive at an early age. Why do I want a break? I want to run from basketball practice over to this baseball game because I can.”
Football was always the goal. He grew jealous of his friends who played before him in middle school. By playing different sports, however, Chism developed into a well-rounded athlete.
“I was so involved in other sports that it didn’t really make it too hard, but I wanted to play bad,” the Patriots receiver said.
By eighth grade, Chism had his chance and joined two local football teams. His already well-known athletic gifts were on display in the first game he played.
“He came out on a wheel route, first play of the game, one-handed catch,” Chism II said. “The very first time he touched the ball was a 20-yard touchdown catch. And I was just standing there going, ‘O.K., I guess this might work.’”
An early NFL focus
Former Monroe High School coach Michael Bumpus understands what it’s like to come so close to achieving everything a person ever wanted.
A standout receiver for Washington State, he played in four games as an undrafted free agent for the Seattle Seahawks in 2008. He caught five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. After getting cut a year later and spending time in the CFL and AFL, Bumpus turned his attention to helping young athletes as a trainer and coach.
They met in middle school, and the two grew close when Chism was in eighth grade. Throughout high school, Chism would ask him about what it takes to make it in the NFL.
“I had a cup of coffee in the league. I always went back and thought about the things that I didn’t do,” Bumpus said. ”I was early, but I wasn’t the earliest. I stayed late. I didn’t stay the latest, and always felt that if maybe I did some of those things, I could have gotten to a second contract.”
The coach explained that the worst feeling he ever had was not being prepared. Chism took that to heart. The teenager was intrinsically motivated. He’d text Bumpus after most training sessions and games, asking what he could do better and what the focus would be the next time they got together.
After starting as a freshman, Chism finished his high school career with 166 catches for 2,581 yards. Parents would get mad at Bumpus for not spreading the ball around.
He’d tell them to come to practice. Come and watch Chism work and attack every drill. Watch him and then try to say their son deserves more. And then he’d tell them: “He’s gonna make it to the NFL,” Bumpus said. “And they’d call me crazy.”
When they worked out, Bumpus pushed Chism harder than most. He wanted to see if he would break. It never happened. Chism kept pushing. He did the same this offseason after the receiver fulfilled one notebook goal by becoming an All-American in his last two seasons at Eastern Washington.
A 5-foot-10 receiver, Chism wasn’t going to make it in the NFL relying on his athleticism. He excelled at route running, understanding leverage, and catching everything near him.
“I told him, ‘When you’re tired, that’s where cowardice comes out. That’s where you don’t make the play. And I never want you to feel like you’re tired,” Bumpus said. “I’ve never encountered a kid like this before, and I’ve trained kids who have made it to the NFL and who have played college ball, but that’s just in his DNA, and that’s his superpower.”
That mindset helped him in college.
Chism’s early arrivals
Chism arrived at Eastern Washington with a chip on his shoulder.
Throughout high school, he heard plenty about his size. The subject became tiring, but his family leaned into it. For all his production, local PAC-12 and most Mountain West schools shied away. State schools like Washington and Washington State never offered.
“Even trying to get recruited, everyone’s told him that he’s too small and he’s not fast enough, I mean, you’re dang right we talk about that,” Chism II said. “Let’s prove them all wrong. Let’s let them know that I believe in myself and I can do this.”
Even after a standout career at Eastern Washington, Chism heard the same concerns before going undrafted.
“Everywhere I go, someone’s got something to say. High school, college, here,” Chism said. “Outside noise, whatever it is, or just extra motivation I can bring on with me throughout the day. And I feel like that’s always pushing me to kind of get that 1% better every day.”
To do that, he needed to gain an advantage. In college, he figured out how.
Chism wasn’t the best athlete on the team, so he wanted to be the most prepared. Each morning, he’d arrive at the facility, take a seat on head coach Aaron Best’s couch, and talk. Then, he’d meet with his receivers coach, Jeff McDaniels, and offensive coordinator Jim Chapin.
“I was in there every day just kind of drawing things on the whiteboard,” Chism said. “Just trying to figure out new ways to do different things versus different people. I feel like it was just always chasing to be better.”
The early mornings turned into productive Saturdays. Chism finished his collegiate career by breaking NFL Pro Bowler Cooper Kupp single-season receptions record (120). His work ethic built his confidence. When he arrived at Gillette Stadium this offseason, it wasn’t long before Chism did the same.
He arrives at the facility early and leaves late.
“In camp, I wanted to get ahead on learning the new stuff and just kind of always being prepared,” Chism said. “I’m walking in the meeting room, at least I’ve already heard it once and, so now I’m hearing it two or three times before we put it as a whole. So that’s kind of how it started. And now it’s just kind of one of those things where I enjoy getting in there and just kind of figuring out new stuff and hearing things more than once.”
Chism’s goals
This offseason, before coming to New England, Chism was working out with Bumpus when his trainer, coach, and mentor gave him a harsh truth.
“I would tell him that you’re not supposed to make the team,” Bumpus said.
For Chism, the focus was to tap into his “superpower.” That’s his dedication, relentlessness, and ability to catch everything thrown his way. For those who know him, it wasn’t a surprise when he starred in the preseason with multiple highlights or made the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
He wants more.
To get on the Patriots’ game day roster, Chism will have to move past one of the receivers ahead of him: Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas or Kyle Williams.
Chism watched the Patriots’ first three games wearing street clothes, dreaming of donning his uniform and helmet. When he returned to Gillette Stadium, he did so bright and early, ready to learn and gain an advantage on his peers. Sometimes, those early morning lessons turn into late-night study sessions.
Last week, Bumpus texted Chism at 11 p.m. Eastern time. He received a response three hours later. It was a video of Chism studying.
He said five words: “Preparing like I’m a starter.”
Efton Chism III doesn’t know any other way.
The kid from Monroe always stayed focused and always surpassed expectations. And he never has to look far. All Chism needs to do is stare down at the top right corner of his notebook.
“I’ve always kind of been big into that, but I didn’t really start until halfway through college,” Chism said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to write down my goals at the top of my notebook every day. No matter what’s going on, new notebook, whatever, I’m always in the top right corner writing all my goals. Boom, boom, boom. For the day, for the year, for whatever kind of just whatever is going on. And then just kind of kept rolling from there.”
This offseason, he wrote ‘NFL’ because he didn’t feel like he made it. He wrote 53 to visualize making the roster and updated it to 46.
He wrote ‘Monroe’ to carry his hometown with him. And Legend?
Because that’s what he wants to be.