Latest news with #EasternWashington
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Memphis Grizzlies trade up, pick Washington State's Cedric Coward at No. 11 in 2025 NBA Draft
The Memphis Grizzlies have traded up and selected the draft rights to Cedric Coward out of Washington State with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25, the NBA announced. Coward, a 6-foot-6 forward, played six games with Washington State last season after transferring from Eastern Washington. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists with the Cougars before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. Advertisement Memphis is sending the Portland Trail Blazers its No. 16 overall pick, a 2028 first-round pick from the Orlando Magic and two second-round picks. Before transferring to Washington State, Coward averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and shot 38.3% on 3-pointers as a sophomore at Eastern Washington. He originally announced his commitment to Duke while also entering the draft. He became one of the fastest risers at the NBA draft combine after a standout performance in May. He begin to rise up boards and ultimately stayed in the draft. Memphis has targeted adding wings who can make a two-way impact. Coward, 21, is expected to be a player who can provide solid offense and a boost with his defensive upside. Advertisement The Grizzlies are revamping their roster on the perimeter after trading Desmond Bane on June 15. Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies select Cedric Coward at No. 11 in 2025 NBA Draft
Boston Globe
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
In a crowded Patriots wide receiver room, does undrafted free agent Efton Chism have a realistic shot to make the team?
During spring workouts, Chism flashed a aggressiveness in drills in attacking the football, was able to get separation on a consistent basis, and didn't look overwhelmed during 11-on-11 work, earning reps with the No. 1 offense. Add in what appears to be dependable hands, some excellent shiftiness, and special teams value (he saw action as a returner), and it's easy to see why the Patriots made him one of their highest-paid UDFAs. 'I just think coming with the mind-set of, 'Nothing's guaranteed. Nobody owes me anything,' ' Chism said. 'I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I get. If that's a scout-team rep or if that's a special-teams rep, whatever it is. And building the QB's trust where they want to throw me the ball.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up One of the things that impressed coach Mike Vrabel was Chism's early commitment to building trust with Maye and the rest of the quarterbacks. That was evident in one OTA session in which Chism caught all seven passes thrown in his direction. Advertisement 'I think he's a talented player,' Vrabel said. 'He's dedicated. He's studied extremely hard. He has a good feel for what we're asking him to do. 'I think the biggest thing for receivers is that there's trust from the guy that throws the football. When you earn the quarterback's trust — any one of them that we have, any one of the three — it doesn't take you long to figure out who the quarterback trusts. It's the ones they target. That's a good indicator.' Advertisement Chism finished with 346 catches for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns in five years at Eastern Washington. He was an an AP All-American and Big Sky first-teamer as a senior. Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said Chism is one of those prospects you need to watch on a daily basis to truly appreciate, pointing to his dependability. 'He's as consistent as he can be. You know exactly what you're going to get,' Best said. 'He's down to earth, humble, and very self-aware. He's confident, not cocky, and has an ego but isn't arrogant. He knows he's talented but also knows he needs to work hard to make the most of his talents.' Eastern Washington coach Aaron Best said "I'll put my money on Efton" Chism making it in the NFL. Josh Geci Given his résumé and FCS background, it's easy to draw comparison between Chism and Cooper Kupp, another former Eastern Washington standout. Chism broke several school records held by Kupp, including receptions in a season (120). While being cautious in his comparison — Kupp is a Super Bowl MVP and has 891 catches in the NFL — Best acknowledged the similarities. 'Efton is going to run the route he needs to run at the speed he's going to run at every time. I compared him to Cooper in that style, very much the same way,' Best said. 'You kind of marvel at the fact that they took every rep like they were in a game. They studied everybody else but themselves. They didn't watch their one-on-ones. To pick up little tips and nuances, they went through 100 reps of someone else, trying to learn things. That's what the greatest do. Advertisement 'But really, they have very similar traits. They're both humble and appreciative of the opportunity. Coop came back for his last year, and Efton stayed here and probably decided to forgo some NIL money elsewhere. They were both very loyal to their peers.' Efton Chism, with family and friends on senior day, finished with 346 catches for 3,852 yards and 37 touchdowns in five years at Eastern Washington. Braeden Harlow All this begs the question: Why was Chism available as an undrafted free agent? He's considered slightly undersized, and he doesn't have the physical tools other receivers possess. To that point, Best suggested Chism's biggest challenge in the NFL, might come in facing man coverage. 'He didn't get pressed much in the slot,' Best said. 'There's just not a ton of that in college in the Big Sky Conference. He would be playing against a nickel corner in the slot. How consistently can he get open in the slot position with a guy in his face … that may be a different animal at the NFL level, with teams playing press like they do. 'But I'll put money on Efton.' Chism still faces plenty of obstacles on the road to a spot on the 53-man roster, but he's going to lean on the sort of motivational techniques that have already defined his football journey. 'I think there's a bunch of little things — taken from an FCS school, not getting drafted — I'm always going to bring up myself for motivation,' he said. 'But at the end of the day, it's just opportunity. And Coach Vrabel said, 'Don't care how you got here. It's opportunity now.' So I'm excited.' Advertisement Christopher Price can be reached at
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former NFL player says Patriots undrafted WR plays like Julian Edelman
Former NFL player says Patriots undrafted WR plays like Julian Edelman New England Patriots undrafted rookie wide receiver Efton Chism III has been getting plenty of praise for his practice sessions during minicamp and OTAs. Now, that attention is extending outward with a national analyst and former NFL player, Brian Baldinger, recognizing Chism's talent as well. Baldinger highlighted and broke down college football footage of Chism in action. The undrafted rookie broke Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp's record with 120 receptions at Eastern Washington for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also led the FCS with 10 catches per game and ultimately earned first-team FCS All-American honors. The Patriots have a long history of finding great slot receivers, including Wes Welker and Julian Edelman. Could Chism be their next great find? "This guy is turning heads in Foxborough. I don't know if he's Julian Edelman. I don't know if he's Wes Welker," said Baldinger. "But he sure plays the game like those guys did, in the way that those guys played. They might have a slot receiver coming out of Eastern Washington, undrafted free agent." It remains to be seen how the wideout's skill level translates to live game action at the NFL level. Keep in mind that all of the practices throughout the spring were non-padded workout sessions. The Patriots will get a better sense of Chism's true potential when the pads come on and the intensity ramps up at training camp. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
New York Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Efton Chism was the darling of the Patriots' spring. Now, can he make the team?
Editor's note: This is the first story in a 10-part series looking at the most intriguing New England Patriots players ahead of training camp. It's almost a little too on the nose that the Patriots player stealing headlines and turning heads in spring practices is an unheralded, undersized slot receiver from a small school. Advertisement But it's not hyperbole to say that no player did more to improve his standing on the depth chart than Efton Chism. To put it another way, when we came up with the idea for this series in which we'd zoom in on 10 important players ahead of training camp, Chism wasn't even in consideration. Now he's kicking it off. Mike Vrabel praised the 23-year-old as 'a talented player' who is dedicated and 'studied extremely hard.' The head coach noted that it doesn't take long to figure out which receivers quarterbacks trust — 'it's the ones they target,' he said. That clearly means Drake Maye already trusts Chism, given their work together this spring and the 50 catches Maye estimated Chism made. So as the hype train rolls on for the 5-foot-10 receiver, let's look at how Chism got here, what the future might hold and whether this might just be fool's gold in spring sessions that favor receivers. Chism didn't start playing football until eighth grade. Before that, he focused on baseball and basketball. But he quickly took to football. He and his family watched Eastern Washington games, which meant he was frequently watching Cooper Kupp as a kid. His level of comfort with the program is part of the reason he chose to attend college there. Chism broke out as a sophomore, notching 735 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games, while kicking off a streak of 53 straight games with at least one catch, a mark that broke Kupp's FCS record. He's a slick route runner who easily got open against defenders and led all of the FCS in catches last season with 120 in 12 games. Chism's chances of getting drafted were dampened when he ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, but he posted elite numbers in the short shuttle and three-cone drill, which speak to his shiftiness. After going undrafted, he had a number of suitors and signed with the Patriots on a deal that guaranteed him $234,000, a massive haul for an undrafted player. A week away from the draft and even in a deeper WR class, really excited to see where @EWUFootball WR Efton Chism lands. Elite short shuttle (4.06) and three cone (6.77) make up for perceived lack of top-end speed. Here's him as compared to Trent Taylor (5th round pick), Jeremy… — Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 18, 2025 From the first practice, it was evident Chism was different. Typically, coaches are slow to elevate rookies. But by the time OTAs were halfway complete, Chism was already getting reps with Maye after starting with the third-team offense. He seems like a perfect fit for Josh McDaniels' scheme, which has always utilized shifty slot receivers. McDaniels' offense seems to make up for Chism's lack of top-end speed by having him find soft spots in the coverage and running a bunch of underneath crossing routes. Advertisement Now, it's worth noting that Vrabel wanted cornerbacks to pull up and not go for 50-50 balls during spring practices, but those practices still couldn't have gone much better for Chism. Even if Chism continues to play well in training camp, he has a long way to go to overtake DeMario Douglas on the depth chart. Douglas is the same kind of player as Chism but has more of a track record (he had 621 yards last season) and a lot more speed (he ran a 4.44-second 40). Given the nature of slot receivers, it's unlikely both Douglas and Chism would ever be on the field at the same time. So even if Chism looks more likely than not to make the team at this point, he's still likely to be stuck behind Douglas on the depth chart. Head coaches typically don't hand out the kind of praise in the spring that Vrabel did for Chism. Same for quarterbacks. That's a sign that Chism is more than just a spring darling who will get overwhelmed when the pads come on. If anything, it might be more impressive that Chism was so quickly making an impact in a McDaniels offense that has historically been difficult for rookie receivers to learn. Another reason for optimism is the lack of other options on the depth chart. We're still a long way from cutdown day, but in this rebuild, it seems like Chism brings more long-term potential than a veteran like Kendrick Bourne. Rookie receivers almost always struggle in the first few practices, but Chism's route running was so precise that he was quickly getting open. That could be an especially important trait if the Patriots offensive line struggles and Maye has to quickly get the ball out. As Vrabel stressed several times, OTAs and minicamp are really just a passing clinic. In that environment, shifty slot receivers should stand out. So with Chism, there are two legit concerns. The first is his speed. While he's great in short areas, you'd still like to have slot receivers with some speed — and Douglas is significantly faster. Julian Edelman ran a 4.52-second 40, which is meaningfully faster than Chism. (Edelman also tested much better than Chism in explosive drills like the broad jump and vertical jump.) Advertisement The other area of concern is Chism's durability. He stayed healthy in college, but the physicality in the NFL is a far cry from what he experienced at the FCS level. One of the ugly truths for undrafted guys is you have to stay healthy in training camp to have a chance, so that'll factor into Chism's odds of making the roster, too. In short, can Chism keep this up? If the 53-man roster were based solely on spring practices, Chism would be on the team. But things ramp up in a big way when the pads come on. Can he provide anything as a run blocker? Can he stay healthy? Does his lack of straight-end speed hurt him? Those are all fair questions and reasons to not just pencil Chism onto the roster. Besides, those spring sessions are tailor-made for a player like him. But at the same time, you couldn't have asked for much more than he provided this spring.
USA Today
14-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Drake Maye's seven-word reaction to UDFA receiver's rise in practice
Drake Maye's seven-word reaction to UDFA receiver's rise in practice New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had high praise for undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Efton Chism III. The former Eastern Washington standout has generated a lot of buzz in the spring practices by catching nearly everything thrown in his direction. It should come as no surprise considering he had 120 receptions for 1,311 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final college season. The 120 catches broke former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp's record. There was one OTAs practice period in particular where Chism caught 7-of-7 passes thrown in his direction. His ability to consistently get open and make plays is making an early impression on the Patriots, including the second-year quarterback. 'Chis had like 50 catches in OTAs,' said Maye. Chism is quickly showing that he belongs at the NFL level despite being a clear underdog as an undrafted rookie. He is making a case for a spot on the 53-man roster before training camp even begins. Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
