HOLLISTER MAKES BIG LEAP IN GAME DEBUT
Tight end Jacob Hollister’s rapid summer improvement cannot be overstated, and his performance Thursday against the Jaguars was indicative of the rookie’s campaign to make the 53man roster.
With three weeks until cut-down day, Hollister is the Patriots’ best bet to crack the roster among the crop of undrafted skill position players. Wide receiver Austin Carr, who also got off to a nice start in the preseason opener, quite possibly still remains on the wrong side of the cut line.
Hollister had game highs of seven catches and 116 receiving yards, but he displayed far more important qualities than anything that showed up on the stat sheet. He was reliably tough while making challenging catches in traffic, and he attacked the ball in the air, which is a necessary level of aggressiveness that suggests he isn’t going to be the Patriots’ next summer fling who fades in the fall.
Surely, Hollister won’t be a marquee contributor for the 2017 Pats, but he does benefit from two circumstances that work against Carr. First, the Patriots have an open competition for a third tight end behind Rob Gronkowski and Dwayne Allen. And second, Hollister’s ability as a receiver distinguishes himself from block-first tight ends James O’Shaughnessy and Matt Lengel.
Carr, on the other hand, caught five balls for 44 yards, and his 3-yard touchdown was the Patriots’ highlight of the night. His double move in the back of the end zone was the best route that he has run this summer, and he absorbed a shot to complete the catch. Earlier on the drive, Carr also executed a solid comeback route against cornerback Josh Johnson for a 20-yard completion.
Carr’s greatest roadblock is the pedigree of his competition. Julian Edelman, Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell are roster locks, so Carr would need to benefit from an injury or a surprising cut elsewhere to make the 53-man roster.
The other hurdle for Carr is his lack of lower-body strength and quick footwork to create separation with his routes. He draws optimistic comparisons to the likes of Amendola and Edelman, who both took years to perfect their craft, but Carr is years away from reaching their level, if it ever happens. Carr has also had some inconsistency issues with staying on the same page as Tom Brady during practice, as one wrong route nearly yielded an interception a week ago.
As for Hollister, he bailed out Jimmy Garoppolo a few times by sacrificing his body in traffic. Hollister jumped and outstretched his arms over the middle in the second quarter for a 16-yard catch on third-and-11, even though it was obvious he was about to take a shot from safety Jarrod Wilson. And during the two-minute drill prior to halftime, Garoppolo delivered a hospital ball and Hollister hauled in a 9-yard catch while getting hit by Johnson. Linebacker Blair Brown furthered the anguish with an elbow to the head that drew a flag.
It didn’t deter Hollister’s ambitiousness. He made an athletic play in the third to hurdle a would-be tackler for an 18-yard gain, and the rookie wound up on the wrong side of a helmet-tohelmet shot.
The most impressive such catch came in the fourth quarter, though. On thirdand-15, Hollister found an open spot in the Jaguars’ zone coverage and then jumped back toward the ball to attack it in the air for a 15-yard gain. That’s the type of play the coaches harp on early in every practice, so Hollister will draw high marks for executing it for a conversion.
Hollister’s highlight reel wasn’t just about his toughness. Garoppolo did a fine job to look off safety Jarrod Harper before uncorking a 38-yarder to Hollister, but the tight end deserved some credit, too. He evaded a jam at the line, recognized a zone in the second level and shaded his route outside the left hash to create space. Hollister showed similar awareness up the right seam for his 19-yard catch on a third-quarter third-and-5.
These weren’t the most complicated plays to execute, but Hollister wouldn’t have been able to pull them off with such consistency two weeks ago. Earlier this month, Patriots safety Devin McCourty gave Hollister some route-running pointers that yielded better results a day later, and that example is a microcosm of Hollister’s strides.
Hollister isn’t much of a blocker, evidenced by his inability at the point of attack on a Dion Lewis 2-yard run, but the Patriots won’t ask him to do much of that. He’d be an offset tight end who complements Gronk and Allen with a variety of looks. Since the Patriots will likely dial back their twotight end sets this season to preserve Gronk and feature their loaded cast of wide receivers, someone with Hollister’s skill set would fit in nicely. And if the Patriots need an extra blocker, fullback James Develin is comfortable on the end of the line, and the Pats will also likely carry four offensive tackles.
Hollister is on the right track toward playing himself onto the 53-man roster, while undrafted partner in crime Carr isn’t able to control his situation as much. For any underdog, the key is playing well enough to force the Patriots to only consider one option.