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New Patriots WR Mack Hollins explains his shredded practice gear during training camp
"It’s kind of just been my training-camp swag ever since.”
FOXBOROUGH — It was pretty easy to spot Mack Hollins amid the 90 players taking part in various drills during Monday’s training-camp session at Gillette Stadium.
Beyond Hollins’ 6-foot-4 frame, his unique workout gear during Monday’s practice stood out — as his red practice shirt was shredded into ribbons below his chest.
For Hollins, his impromptu alterations to his workout gear has a practical purpose.
“This is homegrown right here,” Hollins said of his fashion statement. It actually started six years ago, seven years ago — I was in Miami. It’s all functional.
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” The bottom of the slits stay drier than the top. So at a receiver position, South Florida, it gets a little humid. So I was able to dry my gloves off. And then it’s kind of just been my training-camp swag ever since.”
Hollins is no stranger when it comes to marching to the beat of his own drum. The eccentric wideout says that he does not use elevators, and is routinely spotted walking barefoot — be it on the practice field or even on the street.
But beyond his quirky habits, Hollins’ football IQ and ability to process mental reps also make him a unique addition to New England’s locker room.
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Despite opening camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the 31-year-old Hollins has not missed a step since getting cleared for action — already logging regular reps with Drake Maye and other first-team starters.
Hollin’s ability to hit the ground running despite spending time on the PUP list drew praise from Mike Vrabel on Monday.
“Spent a lot of time here in the offseason, locked in, engaged,” Vrabel said of Hollins. “Rare for a player to be able to get that much information and not practice. That’s hard.
“That’s hard just even thinking back when I was in those opportunities to be able to do that and still understand the details and not practicing. So, locked in, ready to go, excited to see him get out there and practice.”
Hollins said that his ability to process the game outside of practices and on-field reps has allowed him to pick up playbooks in short order.
“When I was a young player, a coach told me the brain doesn’t know the difference between a physical rep and a mental rep,” Hollins said. “So being able to keep my mind focused, it’s easy to wander and get caught up in the conversations in the back, but if I wanted to be ready for this day, then I had to be ready all the other days.
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“This is the National Football League, nobody cares if you’re out a month or a day or an hour, they expect you to be on the same page as everyone else that was practicing when you come back. That was my intention – make sure I’m locked in because when I come back, the expectation is that I was here the whole time.”
Hollins — who reeled in 31 catches for 378 yards and five touchdowns last season with the Bills — is expected to carve out a role as a boundary receiver and blocking force within New England’s wideout grouping in 2025.
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