How Patriots veteran WR showed Efton Chism III a path to the end zone and an NFL career

1 week ago 2

FOXBOROUGH – The special bond started in the offseason.

Efton Chism III showed up to Gillette Stadium early at 5 a.m., looking to gain an edge. That’s when the undrafted free agent noticed his veteran teammate Mack Hollins doing the same thing.

Hollins was a willing mentor. He taught Chism to make the most of his time. Don’t just show up to the facility early. Have a plan. Those early mornings often turned into late nights with the rookie studying the playbook in Hollins’ room at the team hotel.

The two connected over wanting to make the most of their opportunities while competing with each other. They watched film together, worked out in the gym, and got in extra runs. They walked through plays in hotel rooms.

This season, Chism watched his mentor have success in his first year with the Patriots. When Hollins landed on the injured reserve last week, it was the rookie who stepped up, creating a special moment.

In Sunday’s 42-10 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium, Chism caught his first touchdown pass.

On this play, the Patriots had him line up just behind a tight end near the right side of the Patriots’ offensive line. When the ball was snapped, Chism faked a block and ran straight up the hash marks before breaking right into the end zone, where Drake Maye found him for the score.

Hollins was there to celebrate with his mentee. The next day the pair watched the video and realized that Chism scored on the exact play call and ran the same route that Hollins did for his first Patriots touchdown in Miami in Week 2.

“He brought the energy off the sidelines, so I got to celebrate with him, which was sweet,” said Chism, who marveled at the parallel. “It was kind of a surreal moment there.”

This relationship has been mutually beneficial.

Hollins, 32, learned early in his career the importance of gaining an edge on his competition. When he was with the Eagles, he’d show up early with veteran receiver Jordan Matthews. He also learned from established pass catchers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. They all had different schedules, and Hollins learned how to make the most of his time.

That was the first lesson that Hollins taught Chism when the rookie arrived at Gillette Stadium at 5 a.m.

“The biggest thing that I’ve tried to teach him about is not wasting time,” Hollins said. “One of the biggest misconceptions is coming in early makes you better than everybody else. By no means does that, but it gives you a chance to be better than everybody else.”

Now, when the pair arrives in Foxborough, they often start in receiver coach Todd Downing’s room. It’s a small office, but here they watch the coach put together the day’s PowerPoint presentation, showing them the practice plan.

Then they’ll move on to extra strength or receiving work before many of their teammates arrive.

Then they’ll move on to extra strength or receiving work before many of their teammates arrive. As much as the veteran has helped the rookie, Chism also pushed Hollins. While working together, they naturally compete and kept things fun as the season wore on.

“I can’t slack. I can’t miss a day. I can’t, like, not be out there working. Because then he sees me, it’s like, ‘Oh, well, you told me I was supposed to do this,’” Hollins said. “So this is part of that. And since I was young, it was like, ‘How can I find competition?”

Chism’s transition from Eastern Washington and the FCS hasn’t been easy. He contributed only on special teams for most of the year. Before Sunday’s game, he played 25 offensive snaps in six games. He had no targets.

Instead of getting frustrated, the rookie worked hard in whatever role was necessary. Sometimes, his performances on Fridays, when the team works on red zone, were so great that defensive players would praise him after practice.

Mike Vrabel noted that although Chism’s touchdown was his first in a game, it was something the team saw plenty of this season in practice due to his work on the scout team.

Hollins’ lesson about not wasting time applied beyond just workouts and preparation.

“Good, bad, or indifferent, the next day is a new day,” Chism said. “Or there’s going to be another moment, and we’re going to have to bring it. Nobody cares what happened the play before; just focus on the play now.”

Hollins said the relationship with Chism has been fun. After eight years in the NFL, the receiver has a lot of wisdom to share and has found the perfect teammate to help. As the season unfolded, Hollins’ work ethic rubbed off on Chism.

“He’s done a great job of saying, ‘Hey, I’m just ready to work. Even when I feel tired, I’m going to go to work,’” Hollins said. “Because it’s an opportunity. And he’s taken every opportunity around with it, which has been great to see.”

Even though Hollins was on injured reserve, Vrabel was glad that he had made the trip so he could be there for Chism’s touchdown, the result of “a fun mentorship.”

After their season of work, it meant everything to Chism for Hollins to be there to celebrate.

“It’s been huge having someone to lean on,” Chism said. “Having someone to ask questions to, especially as an undrafted rookie, there is a lot of unfamiliarity with the NFL. He’s been doing it a long time… It means a lot to me that he was out there.”