FOXBORO — Patriots rookie wide receiver Efton Chism hasn’t had the opportunity to make his NFL debut, but he’s still a fan favorite for how he flashed in two standout preseason games.
Learn more about Chism, his memories of Super Bowl XLIX, growing up in Washington State and why he’s bonded with fellow wide receiver Mack Hollins.
First football memory: “I used to run around my house. We had a little mobile home growing up, and I had one of those little plastic helmets you can get from like Fred Meyers or whatever the grocery store is. And my dad — it was like a couch, we had a fireplace and a bookshelf. And my dad would just give me routes. He’d say go to the couch, to the bookshelf and then back. And then I would just run them, and he would throw it — like the little Nerf ball. I’m diving all over the place, making catches and stuff. So, that was probably my first memory of football.”
best high school football memory: “Team camp. We did this thing in the summer where the whole team gets on a bus or drives to a college, and it ended up being Eastern Washington, my college. So we went there, stayed in the dorms as high school kids were there for like, a week, practicing against other teams and stuff like that. Those are always kind of my best memories of high school. Because you’re there with just the guys running around doing whatever for a couple days. It’s pretty fun.”
best college football memory at Eastern Washington: “Definitely, just the guys I played with. Those relationships I built with those guys have been super special. And then just the opportunities that are brought playing the bigger teams was pretty cool, and then beating some of them and being in tight, close games like Fresno. It was super special over there.”
If it took long getting used to EWU’s red field: Honestly, not. It wasn’t that bad for me. Some people come and play there and they actually don’t like it. It bothers them. Like, I’ve heard from other people that we played, but no, I love it.
What you would be doing if you weren’t a football player: “I’d be doing some sort of sport, I think. I was big into baseball growing up. That was kind of like my sport that I only played, played on a bunch of different travel teams and then ended up playing football instead. But if not that, I don’t know. Some sports for sure.
Favorite athlete growing up: “LeBron James. Still is. That’s my guy. I think he’s the GOAT. Rolling with him all the way.”
Favorite movie: “Longest Yard.” That’s my favorite one. Adam Sandler, he’s one of the GOATs, as well.”
Favorite musical musician: “Drake. Big Drake guy.”
Favorite song: “Do Not Disturb” by Drake. That’s the one I like to listen to. That’s the one.
Best friend or best friends on the team: “Me and Mack (Hollins) are pretty close. I don’t know if he saw me just like studying by myself one day and stuff like that. And he kind of just ended up gravitating towards me and helping me out here and there. And today, all of a sudden, we’re kind of with each other all day, asking each other questions, making sure we’re staying sharp on best of all the little details.”
If he’s still doing late-night sessions with Hollins: “Every day, so it’s been helpful just to make sure that I’m still preparing the way that I was during camp, and that he’s still preparing the way he was during camp, keeping ourselves held accountable. Sometimes we do it at the facility. Sometimes we go home and do it at like the hotel or something like that. So it just kind of depends.”
Funniest player on the team: “I think it’s Pop (Douglas). I love Pop. He’s hilarious. He’s always got funny stuff to say, like little smart comments. Not like smart alec comments, but he’s got just a little comment that just makes me laugh sometimes. I love Pop.”
What you like most about New England: “I like the versatility. When I was out here for OTAs and stuff, we got a couple days off, but you go to Boston, enjoy that. I like Foxboro because it reminds me of home. And then if you really want, you can go to like, Cape Cod and Rhode Island, different stuff like that, and kind of get a little bit of everything.”
Player across the league who’s unheralded or underappreciated: “I mean, my big one’s definitely Coop (Seahawks and ex-Eastern Washington wide receiver Cooper Kupp). Just kind of growing up watching him, and then him having the great year with the triple crown, and then today, I think people almost forget that he did that, and that he’s still one of the best receivers in the league, I would say. And then growing up, kind of say another person growing up training with is (Buccaneers wide receiver) Emeka (Egbuka). He went lit last week. So it’s pretty cool seeing him do that. But there’s a lot of guys from Washington that it’s been pretty special to see just kind of make an impact in the NFL and then kind of stick. So it’s been pretty sweet.”
Hidden talent: “I’m good at art. I don’t know, a little hidden talent. I’m an musician, a little bit. Not a painter. I’m not a big painter, but spray paint, can draw a little bit.”
If he was a Seahawks fan growing up: “I was a little bit of Seahawks, a little bit of a Bears fan, because my dad’s best friend was a Bears fan. So, I grew up going into his house, he had like a framed Walter Payton jersey, and I was just like, ‘I’m gonna be a Bears fan.’ So I kind of did a little bit of back and forth, kind of being out there.”
If he has a memory of Super Bowl XLIX: “I do. I was at my friend’s house. There was probably 30-40 people there. We were up best because he had this little balcony, and the TV was down below, right? So we’re on this balcony watching it. Then Jermaine Kearse made the catch. We were like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win.’ And then all of a sudden, the pick. And I remember all the parents, because I was still pretty young. I mean, I was, might have been in middle school, but made the pick, and I heard all the parents screaming, cussing. I’m like, ‘What’s going on? What did they just do?’ And so it was lit.”
About the Author
