Eagles rookie wide receiver Mack Hollins has done his fair share of contributing.
When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted North Carolina wide receiver Mack Hollins, he was looked at as strictly a special teamer. Obviously, the Eagles have played him exactly where they see fit. But what they didn’t know was that Hollins would make a case to earn some reps at receiver as well. Now that he finally scored his first career touchdown, we ask this question. Does Mack Hollins deserve more snaps at wide receiver?
Hollins’ size of 6’4″ and 221 pounds makes him an ideal candidate for more snaps alone. Although the Eagles have been fine with what they have, Hollins brings a different look to the offense. His hardworking offseason proved to the team that he could be a reliable target. Obviously, practice stats mean nothing on gameday, but his skills seemed to translate onto the field as well.
During the first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, Hollins hauled in a pass across the middle from Carson Wentz. He shook off two defenders before taking it to paydirt for six points on the very first drive of the preseason. After that play, Hollins seemed to fall under the radar. He wouldn’t go on to top that highlight. That is until week seven of the regular season. Hollins caught his only target of the night for a 64-yard touchdown bomb from Wentz. That would be the first touchdown of his young and promising career.
More snaps for Mack?
Believe it or not, Hollins has only been averaging around 10-percent of snaps-per-game. The only receiver behind him in that category is the second-year veteran, Marcus Johnson. After seven games of the regular season, Hollins has only received six targets from Wentz. Although that number seems low, his perfect one-hundred percent catching percentage is a really good look.
Yes, Hollins is six-for-six in catching this season. The numbers may not jump out at you on paper, but when you implement the situations into the case, those catches were very crucial. Last week against the Carolina Panthers, Hollins caught two passes for 38-yards. Both of them came on very crucial third-down and long situations.
This week against the Washington Redskins, Hollins caught his first touchdown pass. It was especially special for him, but it meant a lot to the Eagles offense as well. After an ugly start on the first couple of drives, Hollins home-run play was what set everything off. Without his ability to find the separation that he did, there is no telling on whether Wentz would’ve found his grove or not after that touchdown drive.
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Hollins may be nothing more than a clutch receiver right now, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t proving to his coaches that he belongs in the regular rotation. Philly.com reporter Jeff McLane asked Eagles head coach Doug Pederson what he thought about Hollins right now. Pederson told him that he is making a case for more playing time. Perhaps we see some more Mack Hollins this week when the Eagles face the San Francisco 49ers. If Vegas is right about the Eagles taking a commanding lead early, Hollins could get his well-deserved opportunity in garbage time.