A mostly underwhelming free agency regarding the offense predictably led the Patriots to favor the roster going into the 2025 NFL Draft. They had far too many holes to fill within their receiving corps and offensive line to completely address the roster with new signings, so they attacked the vacancies with some of the top talent available in this year's draft class.
Because of that, guys like LT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, and WR Kyle Williams are the next New England Patriots. All of these rookies are expected to be immediate starters, therefore putting several veterans in the hot seat through the rest of the offseason.
There are a handful that will surely be under the microscope far more than others, with the receiving corps, in particular, dealing with the most pressure to impress this summer or risk looking for a spot on another team's roster.
One of the more probable players expected to deal with that is a recent free agent signing, former Bills receiver Mack Hollins. When free agency began, he was the only pass catcher signed by the Patriots despite having the most cap space to use. But since then, they have brought Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams in the draft, putting a target on Hollins' back for the next few months.
The additions of WRs Stefon Diggs and Kyle Williams means Mack Hollins has to have a standout summer with the Patriots
Although Hollins has a history with returning offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, he isn't the caliber of receiver the team needed to dramatically make them a better unit. That explains why Diggs was eventually signed because he does fit that role. The same can be said about Williams, who will immediately become Drake Maye's primary deep threat.
That casts a guy like Hollins to the side, especially since the other receiver signings came after him. It could mean his future will depend on being a special teams contributor, which was partly why he was signed anyway, and that could be a niche he carves for himself this upcoming season.
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But there's also the chance that he impresses far more during practice this summer than most anticipate, and it might be fair to assume that he needs to do that to ensure he makes the final 53-man roster.
Hollins certainly has the potential to be exactly what the Patriots need, and there's a good chance he could beat out some of his teammates who are likely to be competing for a spot, such as Kayshon Boutte, JaQuae Jackson, and John Jiles. That could work in his favor, but it will be a bit more difficult now with the later additions to the receiver room, putting Hollins near the top of the list of most vulnerable this summer.