Leonard Hankerson: Patriots’ Playbook Different, But ‘I’ll Get It Down’

FOXBORO, Mass. — Leonard Hankerson has his work cut out for him after being claimed by the New England Patriots in mid-December.

The wide receiver must pick up the Patriots’ complex offense quickly if he hopes to contribute by the end of the season and into the playoffs. Hankerson, who came over from the Atlanta Falcons, is confident he’ll get it down.

“It’s a totally different system than I was in,” Hankerson said. “You’ve got to come in and work hard. You gotta get the playbook down, know what you’re doing and be on top of your stuff. The most important thing is knowing what you’re doing, knowing what you’ve got to do, knowing where you’ve got to line up, knowing how to get back to the locker room and just learning how things are done around here. …

“Most people start learning it in OTAs and minicamp and stuff, and I’ve only been in it for two days, so it’s tough to pick it up as fast as you can. You just gotta keep working, keep meeting with the coaches, doing the extra stuff and I’ll get it down.”

Hankerson caught 26 passes for 327 yards with three touchdowns in eight games with the Falcons. He had 81 receptions for 1,081 yards with six touchdowns in four seasons with the Washington Redskins.

Hankerson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Dec. 4 and waived Dec. 15. Hankerson has been practicing with the Patriots and says he’s healthy.

“I’m feeling pretty good, you know? Hey man, playing this game, you’ll never be 100 percent,” Hankerson said. “The only thing you can do is keep working and keep doing what you can and make it work.”

Hankerson had an issue with drops during his time with the Falcons that didn’t exist earlier in this career. He had eight drops on 44 targets in 2015. He had six drops on 121 targets in his first three seasons.

“It happened,” Hankerson said. “You just have to keep putting in the extra work and know what caused it, know what you’re going to work on. It gives you something more to practice and to do before and after practice. That’s what you have to do is keep working on knowing what caused it and getting it fixed. …

“Just trying to be anxious and make a play. You want to make a play for your temamates and you want to make that big play, and you want to help your team. You’ve got to focus and do what you can and get the ball.”

Thumbnail photo via Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports Images