Ravens Roll Out Red Carpet for Shrine Bowl Standout: Ravens’ Coaching Staff Gets up Close and Personal with Top Prospect
When it comes to scouting and pulling from the pool of the top college senior talent from the pre-draft process each year, the Baltimore Ravens have historically been among the league leaders.
They place a high value on maturity, leadership and production, although they’ve shown a willingness to take more swings on prospects with alluring traits over proven pedigree since Eric DeCosta took over as general manager.
According to multiple reports, the Ravens are scheduled to host one of the stars of the East-West Shrine Bowl for one of their top 30 pre-draft visits in Eastern Washington University wide receiver Efton Chism III.
The former FCS star was one of the brightest standouts from the week of practice and the game itself after being a late addition to the East Team roster. He was consistently one of the hardest pass catchers to cover all week in practice and caught all four of his targets in the game for 43 receiving yards, including an impressive catch and run for 19 yards on 1st-and-20.
What Chism lacks in vertical and overall speed, he more than makes up with in lateral quickness, suddenness in breaking off at the top of his routes and elusiveness after the catch. All those traits made him a dominant force out of the slot at the FCS level, where he earned two-time All-American honors and broke all of Cooper Kupp’s program records in college by racking up 346 receptions, 3,852 receiving yards and 37 receiving touchdowns.
He saved his best for last as a senior in 2024, recording career-high and team-leading totals of 120 catches, 1,311 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
Another area where Chism made plays in the all-star game and can make immediate contributions for the Ravens as a rookie, if drafted, is on special teams as a punt returner. They had a rotating door and lacked consistency at the role in 2024 despite signing former All-Pro Deonte Harty in free agency ahead of last year’s draft and still having Tylan Wallace, who assumed the role down the stretch of the 2023 campaign.
Chism could be a prime target for the Ravens sometime on Day 3, as they have two picks in the fourth round and four in the sixth. He’d provide quality depth as a reliable pass catcher, but his ability to stabilize and make plays as a returner, where he racked up 908 yards in college, would be where he’d make his biggest impact.
