Mike Vrabel explains ‘good indicator’ for Efton Chism’s spring success

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Efton Chism was one of the biggest stars of New England Patriots spring practices. Chism visibly made progress over the course of the spring, getting more time with the top offense as practices went on and even catching a couple of passes from Drake Maye. That caught the attention of many, including the head coach.

"I think he's a talented player," Mike Vrabel replied when asked about Chism before Tuesday's minicamp practice. "I think he has a certain skill set. He's dedicated. He's studied extremely hard. He has a good feel for what we're asking him to do."

In the same answer, Vrabel added an interesting note of an indicator for any wide receiver trying to make a push for a roster spot or up the depth chart.

"I think the biggest thing for receivers is that there's trust from the guy that throws the football," Vrabel explained. "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."

Vrabel bringing that up in an answer about Chism could be an indication that Chism has at least started to earn the trust of the Patriots quarterbacks. That answer also came after Maye mentioned him by name when asked about the rookie skill players on Monday.

"Chis had about 50 catches, I feel like, in OTA," Maye said with a chuckle.

It's easy to see why quarterbacks would trust Chism - he plays a reliable style of football. His ability to quicky separate at the top of the route, recognize coverage to find room in the defense, and reliable hands make him an ideal chain mover - the kind of player that has thrived in Josh McDaniels' offense in the past.

Last year at Eastern Washington Chism was targeted 146 times - the second-most of any FBS or FCS wide receiver. Even with that volume he ranked second among qualified receivers in percentage of targets caught at 82.2% - 0.3% behind national leader Giles Jackson who had 43 fewer targets.

Chism will have to prove he can continue to be that reliable when the pads come on in training camp in August, and he's facing NFL-level contact. Still he's laid a strong foundation in the spring, with his performance seemingly gaining the attention - and trust - of the Patriots' coaches and quarterbacks.