Mack Hollins adds size and eccentric outlook to Falcons attack at wide receiver

He also doesn’t like the assumption he should aim only for the Atlanta Falcons’ No. 2 receiver spot.

Hollins signed with Atlanta after having a career-best 57 receptions in 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders. He had no more than 16 catches in any of his first four NFL seasons with Philadelphia and Miami, so he was seen by many as no better than No. 2 on the Falcons depth chart behind Drake London, the team’s 2022 first-round draft pick.

Hollins doesn’t easily accept conventional conclusions. That became clear when he was asked if he could claim the No. 2 spot on the Falcons’ depth chart.

“I mean, the No. 1 spot is up and I’ll go for it,” Hollins said after a recent practice. “Drake is my roommate. He gets no free days. Every spot in my mind and every receiver’s mind is up for grabs. Just because he got a nice signing bonus, there’s no free lunches around here. No free lunches.”

Hollins’ response drew a thumbs-up from coach Arthur Smith.

“I kind of like Mack’s answers,” Smith said. “You want guys that want the football. I’m OK if guys want the ball. You want guys that want it. You have a problem with guys that don’t want to work and guys that don’t want the football. It’s a good problem to have when you have guys that want to be the top guy.”

Hollins, whose eccentricities also emerged with the Raiders, shuns forks and spoons. He also dislikes shoes, except when on the football field. Basically, he embraces anything uncomfortable.

“Cold tubs,” he said Monday. “I don’t like the cold so I just dunk fully and for two minutes. I really don’t like it, but because I don’t like it I’ll do it.”

Hollins believes too many Americans rely far too heavily on their comfort, such as depending on air conditioning.

“And if it’s not 72 and 74, it’s a problem,” he said. “And you’re calling ‘my AC is broken’ and you’re never challenging yourself to do anything, even something as simple as like working out outside. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. This little Goldilocks soft stuff, it’s just ridiculous.”

Another Hollins complaint is “Doing too much stuff with the TV. ... Too much TV makes you soft, makes your brain soft.”

Instead, he says he finds a new challenge every year to stay sharp.

“A couple of years ago it was scuba diving and the year after that it was cycling,” he said. “Years after this, it’ll be my skydiving license, my pilot’s license. I want to get into racing cars. It’s like, I don’t know, something new that I haven’t done. I think it keeps you sharp. Bodies usually get soft and mushy, and it’s no good like that.”

Hollins (6-4, 221) is anything but soft. He joins London (6-4, 213) to give quarterback Desmond Ridder two unusually big receivers, along with tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith. The Falcons’ offense, which relied heavily on the run last season, has added rookie first-round pick Bijan Robinson at running back.

Ridder said Hollins is “definitely about energy. And you know, for us, you know, he’s a big deep-ball threat, a big guy to go up and get the ball and, you know, you see him and he’s big, he’s fast, he’s muscular, he’s physical in the run game.”

Raiders will lean on RB White

The question not only is whether Josh Jacobs will return but when he will be back in a Raiders uniform.

The longer Jacobs waits to return to Las Vegas, the more probable it is the Raiders will rely heavily on Zamir White to open the season.

White, the club’s fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Georgia, has handled first-team snaps this training camp and was the starting running back in the Raiders’ first two preseason games. He has averaged 3.6 yards a rush in gaining 83 yards in those two games, but has had flashes he could take on a bigger workload if asked.

In Saturday’s 34-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, White rushed for 22 yards on four carries on the opening drive. That was the only series, which ended in a touchdown, that the Raiders’ starting offense played.

He finished that game with 40 yards on 10 carries and caught a pass for 9 yards.

“There were some plays where maybe it’s a 2-yard run, but it’s a 5-yard run or it’s a 4- or 5-yard run, and it’s a 7-yard run,” Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels said. “He’s got a great finish and forward lean. He makes extra yards on contact most plays. He’s just continuing to improve, and the more he plays, the better he does.”

AROUND THE LEAGUE

COLTS: Coach Shane Steichen said rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will start Thursday night’s preseason finale at Philadelphia. The fourth overall pick in April’s draft started Indianapolis’ preseason opener at Buffalo but did not play in Saturday’s victory over Chicago. Steichen also said he’s aware of reports that the team has given running back Jonathan Taylor permission to seek out a trade but declined further comment.

BUCCANEERS: Baker Mayfield was named the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay, ending the competition for Tom Brady’s old job. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 NFL draft prevailed over third-year pro Kyle Trask, a 2021 second-round draft pick who spent the past two seasons as the third-string quarterback behind Brady and Blaine Gabbert. Mayfield is with his fourth team since July 2022.

JETS: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in an exhibition game for the first time since 2018 on Saturday. New York coach Robert Saleh said he’d like to see Rodgers and the starters play for more than just one series. Mekhi Becton will get the start this week at right tackle after performing well there last Saturday.

49ERS: Coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t decided yet on who will be San Francisco’s No. 2 quarterback behind Brock Purdy and said that Sam Darnold and Trey Lance could rotate the job throughout the season. Teams are allowed to designate an emergency third quarterback on game days this season as long as that player is on the 53-man roster.

PANTHERS: Running back Miles Sanders said he’ll be ready to play in his team’s Sept. 10 regular-season opener against Atlanta after missing more than two weeks of training camp with a groin injury. Sanders is slated to start and is considered Carolina’s “three-down back,” according to coach Frank Reich.

COMMANDERS: An MRI on the injured toe of receiver Terry McLaurin showed no major damage, according to an AP source. X-rays on the toe were also negative. McLaurin was injured late in the first half of Washington’s preseason victory against Baltimore.

PACKERS: Outside linebacker Rashan Gary is participating in 11-on-11 drills again in his latest step forward as he returns from a torn ACL. Gary still isn’t saying whether he expects to be ready for Green Bay’s Sept. 10 season opener at Chicago.

SAINTS: Coach Dennis Allen said he expects New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham to return this week to practice following what team officials have described as a “medical episode” that led police in the Los Angeles area to arrest the veteran player and take him to a hospital.

BRONCOS: Denver signed receiver Josh Hammond after placing Jalen Virgil on injured reserve. Virgil tore the meniscus in his right knee while trying to score during a preseason game against San Francisco.

TITANS: Tennessee ended its experiment with a pair of undrafted kickers and brought back veteran Michael Badgley after his release by Washington. The Titans waived Caleb Shudak and Trey Wolff.

SEAHAWKS: Rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will undergo surgery for a wrist fracture and miss approximately three to four weeks, according to Seattle coach Pete Carroll.