Despite not being the most exciting roster in recent memory, there was a lot of interest surrounding the Patriots’ announcement of their 53-man roster for the 2025 season. For the most part, it was easy to determine who the locks were versus who would be cut, but only to a certain point.
Most analysts and fans got close to determining the lucky 53 players, yet found it difficult to choose the final ones to make the cut. Among the more prominent names that seemed to have locked up a spot on the team weeks ago were two undrafted free agents, receiver Efton Chism III and EDGE Elijah Ponder.
Both showed a lot of promise throughout the summer and impressed with their performances during training camp and the preseason, so it was a surprise to no one that they were among the players to make the official roster.
What was interesting is that the Patriots have continued their streak of keeping around at least UDFA and more often than not, lucking out with the kind of player they become.
The Patriots hope to hit the jackpot again with two UDFAs making this season’s roster
Throughout Bill Belichick’s tenure in New England, he kept a UDFA on the roster from 2004 to 2022, officially breaking the streak during the 2023 season.
Among the more prominent names who became significant parts of the Patriots’ success during that time are defensive back Randall Gay, quarterback Brian Hoyer, cornerback and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler, cornerback Jonathan Jones, cornerback J.C. Jackson, and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
The most recent home run has been S Brenden Schooler, who is well on his way to becoming the next great special teamer in Foxboro after being mentored by the legendary Matthew Slater.
The #Patriots have now had an undrafted rookie make their initial roster in 21 of the last 22 seasons. WR Efton Chism III and EDGE Elijah Ponder were the two UDFAs to make it this year. pic.twitter.com/5HUL4HAq53
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 26, 2025
This season, the hope is that Chism and/or Ponder will be the next stars to rise to the top for the Patriots, and based on what we’ve seen so far, there’s a lot of optimism that it can happen.
Most of that belief is behind Chism, who consistently made headlines throughout the offseason for his standout performances during practice and the preseason. It led to him seemingly winning a spot on the roster well before the preseason was over, earning him constant comparisons to Patriots greats like receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman, both of whom were either undrafted or late-round picks.
From what Chism has shown so far, it doesn’t feel like much of a stretch to suggest he could be on the path to becoming the Patriots’ next best hidden gem. The same can be said about Ponder, who received rave reviews as the summer went on.
It couldn’t be happening at a better time for a team in the midst of a rebuild. Mike Vrabel wasn’t given an ideal roster to take over, so if he can lead the team to success in 2025 with two undrafted players becoming solid contributors, he can firmly pat himself on the back for a job well done. Eliot Wolf, too, as he hopes to redeem himself for such a poor draft last year.
