Patriots' Mack Hollins Ranks Atop Teammate's' 'Unusual' List

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He walks around barefoot, clinking glass bottles to pay homage to the cult-classic movie "The Warriors." He helps the masses with interesting tidbits on social media. He plays chess during Super Bowl media availability.
And yet, New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins has endeared himself to his new team's fanbase -- and the teammates that he shares the locker room with.
"He’s probably No. 1 on the unique list," fellow receiver Stefon Diggs said ahead of Super Bowl LX. "He’s actually taught me a lot, like alternative medicines, things that he does, things that he eats, how he moves on the daily. He’s definitely one of my different teammates, a guy that does things differently."
Hollins signed a two-year contract with the Patriots this past offseason, and his play has backed up his interesting off-the-field personality. In 15 games, he's caught 46 balls for 550 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He's turned into a valuable deep threat target for Drake Maye and the Patriots, and the team's offense wasn't moving as smoothly in the passing game when he was out with an abdominal injury.
Mack Hollins Sits Atop Stefon Diggs' Unusual List
Diggs, like Hollins, came to New England via free agency this spring. He hasn't been around a character like Hollins in his career before, but he loves it.
"I don’t look at everybody the same. No one person is the same," he said. "Their personalities are different. I accept them all, especially considering he’s my teammate."

So what is Hollins like behind the scenes? Stories have been shared about Hollins' preseason connection with undrafted wide receiver Efton Chism, and how he's made himself a lovable person in interviews.
And even though he might always appear in front of the camera, Hollins is willing to do the dirty work when the pads get strapped on.
"I love him. He’s like a brother to me," Diggs continued. "He works extremely hard. Team first. And he does a lot of the dirty work that people don’t see, as far as the blocking and stuff like that. He can make plays at a high level. I’ve got a lot of respect for Mack, and he’s taught me a lot at this point."
Diggs is a big fan.
"Shoutout to Mack Hollins," he said.

Ethan Hurwitz is a writer for Patriots on SI. He works to find out-of-the-box stories that change the way you look at sports. He’s covered the behind-the-scenes discussions behind Ivy League football, how a stuffed animal helped a softball team’s playoff chances and tracked down a fan who caught a historic hockey stick. Ethan graduated from Quinnipiac University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism, and oversaw The Quinnipiac Chronicle’s sports coverage for almost three years.
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