Chad Hansen is looking to impact the Jets more in his second season, which is why he linked up with his former college quarterback who had great success in his second year.
Rams QB Jared Goff and Hansen played together at Cal, and they both spent time in Southern California working together in preparation for next year. Goff, who had a shaky rookie season, shined in his second year as he led his team to a NFC West division title.
Hansen wants the same success as his former teammate in his second season, and he thinks he can do so in any role with the Jets.
"I think I can be whatever they want me to be -- a slot receiver, an outside receiver, a third-down receiver, red zone, all that stuff," Hansen told NJ.com's Darryl Slater. "I think I can bring all that to the table because I have really good hands, and I feel like I do run really good routes. That's something that I want to be, is a jack of all trades."
Hansen showcased his reliable hands and stellar route-running during spring practices. But practice is the most Jets coaches have seen from Hansen thus far in his early career. He saw time in 15 games last season, but he only caught nine passes on 18 targets for 94 yards.
That small sample size is something Hansen wants to see change in 2018.
"I'd love to have a bigger role," he said. "That's obviously something I've been working for. Hopefully, that comes."
It doesn't help Hansen that the Jets have a few veteran receivers on their roster ahead of him on the depth chart. Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse were the faces of the receiving corps last season. And with the addition of Terrelle Pryor along with the return of Quincy Enunwa, Hansen has a long road to travel before he can be a featured player on the outside. ArDarius Stewart is another rookie looking to do the same as well.
But Hansen has been working on his receiving skills all offseason, and he says focusing on that instead of the NFL Scouting Combine like last offseason has helped him.
"I got to fine tune receiver skills," Hansen said. "That's something you don't really do all that much in the combine process. Just worked on getting stronger, getting more refined in route running."
Skills alone, though, won't put Hansen in the position he wants in the end. He will need mental toughness to battle through the adversity, and understand that he needs to make the best of his limited chances to become an everyday player.
Luckily, he believes his confidence as seen a big boost.
"I would say just confidence," Hansen said on his biggest difference heading into training camp. "Being here another year and being able to go through the whole offseason program and being able to have a jump on learning the offense [with new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates], it really helps. I think that the biggest part where I've grown is just confidence in my abilities and knowing that I can go out there and play.
"I understand that it's tough for rookies to get on the field. I think I proved myself, especially toward the end of the year, to set myself up for this year."
Hansen will get the chance to prove he is worth a shot on July 26 when training camp kicks off.