Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots wide receiver heading into his first season with the team.
Wide receiver issues are nothing new for the New England Patriots; the position group has struggled going all the way back to the days of Bill Belichick. The last couple of seasons, however, were particularly bleak: while, yes, the quarterback play left plenty to be desired as well, the team also failed to get consistent contributions out of its wideouts both on and off the field.
In order to address those issues, the Patriots made a couple of free agency acquisitions at the position. One of those was Mack Hollins, who should help address two of the biggest problems that have plagued the unit: playmaking ability on the perimeter and veteran leadership.
Name: Mack Hollins
Position: Wide receiver
Jersey number: 13
Opening day age: 31 (9/16/1993)
Measurements: 6’4”, 221 lbs, 33 1/4” arm length, 9 3/4” hand size, 4.53s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score
NFL: Philadelphia Eagles (2017-19), Miami Dolphins (2019-21), Las Vegas Raiders (2022), Atlanta Falcons (2023), Buffalo Bills (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: North Carolina (2012-16)
A wide receiver and part-time defensive back at Wootton High School in his hometown of Rockville, MD, Hollins did not just flow under the radar as a recruit, he wasn’t even on it. After not receiving any scholarship offers, he spent a postgrad year at Fork Union Military Academy before joining the University of North Carolina as a walk-on in 2012.
After redshirting as a true freshman and playing exclusively on special teams in his second year in Chapel Hill, Hollins became one of the most reliable receivers in UNC history. Over his final three seasons with the Tar Heels, and despite missing half his senior campaign with a broken clavicle, he caught 81 passes for 1,667 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The one-time second-team All-ACC selection (2015) eventually made the jump to the NFL as a fourth-round selection by the Eagles in 2017. As a rookie, he contributed 17 catches and a touchdown during the team’s Super Bowl campaign but failed to take the next step over the coming seasons; he missed his sophomore campaign with a groin injury and was waived during his third year in Philadelphia.
Hollins was claimed off waivers by the Dolphins, with whom he spent the next two and a half seasons and was named captain once (2021). After five years as a role player, he finally had a breakout season in 2022: playing under now-Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’, he caught 57 passes for 690 yards and 4 touchdowns in 16 starts with the Raiders.
His stats took a hit again in 2023 with the Falcons, but he partially managed to rebound during his 2024 campaign in Buffalo. In total, Hollins has seen action in 118 regular season and playoff games and hauled in a combined 168 passes for 2,182 yards and 16 TDs.
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Hollins...
