Surprising Patriots Weapon Receives Eye-Catching Outlook

The New England Patriots have undergone a whole lot of roster changes over the last several months, and one of the areas in which the Patriots have been altered the most is at wide receiver.

Given that New England had the worst receiving corps in football last season, you can certainly see why the Pats have spent so much time addressing the issue. They added a pair of veterans in Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, drafted Kyle Williams and nabbed undrafted free agent Efton Chism III.

Diggs is obviously the jewel of the haul, but Hollins is a name that is starting to generate some buzz with minicamp on the horizon.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports seems to think the 31-year-old pass-catcher could have a big year in 2025 and has listed him among seven players to closely monitor in minicamp.

"A career overachiever whose personal quirks, like refusing to wear shoes whenever possible, often overshadow his ability to hang around the NFL as a quasi-starter, Hollins may not be the fastest, most imposing pass catcher on the block. He's a versatile warrior, however, earning the trust of quarterbacks across the league with scrappy jump-ball and special teams skills," Benjamin wrote. "It wouldn't be a shock at all if he emerges from the spring as one of Drake Maye's go-to outlets on the perimeter, even with bigger names like Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas in tow."

Hollins has bounced around a lot throughout his NFL career, as the Patriots represent his sixth team. He spent 2024 with the Buffalo Bills, catching 31 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns. He has finished with 500 yards just once, which came when he totaled 690 yards with the Las Vegas Raiders back in 2021.

But perhaps the 6-foot-4 receiver will ultimately become one of Maye's favorite targets, and given his size, it's very possible that Maye could go to Hollins quite a bit on red-zone situations.