Patriots Country

What Patriots Are Getting in TreVeyon Henderson

The New England Patriots added an immediate impact player to their offense.

Kevin Sinclair

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) stiff arms Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) in the first half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) stiff arms Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) in the first half in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots addressed arguably the most concerning area of the roster by choosing Will Campbell fourth overall on Day One of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Receiver and edge were widely viewed as the positions of greatest need once Drake Maye's blindside was taken care of. However, the staff didn't cash in the second pick of the draft on a pass-catcher or pass rusher.

Whether the Patriots felt that state champion running back TreVeyon Henderson was simply too enticing to pass on or if Mike Vrabel and the top brass perceive that position to be a higher priority than most suggest is unclear.

Either way, six picks into the second round, it's safe to say that most would agree that Henderson was one of the most dynamic playmakers remaining on the board.

An often-discussed element of the consensus top running back in the draft - Ashton Jeunty - is his build at 5-foot-9, 215 pounds, a stout, powerfully-built ball-carrier who is known to be highly difficult to corral, let alone square up and drop in the open field.

The Virginia product arrived in Columbus a chiseled 5-foot-10, 215 pounds. Now, it takes a very special offensive skill position player to get on the field in a substantial role as a true freshman. Even so, there was no slowing Henderson down during his rookie year.

The former consensus five-star recruit lived up to the hype right out of the gate, averaging an impressive 6.8 yards per carry while finishing with 1,248 rushing yards for 15 touchdowns. What's important to note in relation to the return New England should see is Henderson's ability as a receiver.

Through that rookie season in 2021, he logged 27 catches for 312 yards and four touchdowns, surpassing 1,500 yards of offense even though the Ohio State backfield carries very capable and more experienced backs in Master Teague, Miyan Williams, Marcus Crowley, and others.

Of course, the Buckeyes also fielded Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and other NFL-bound receiver that year. Quarterback CJ Stroud found Henderson in each of the final eight games of the season, including nine connections over the final two contests of 2021.

All told, after battling through a tough year within the rushing game in 2022 due to havoc-causing injuries along the Buckeyes offensive line, the Hopewell, Virginia product wrapped up his career in the Big Ten with 3,761 rushing yards with 42 touchdowns alongside 77 catches for 853 yards and six touchdowns, exceeding 4,500 all-purpose yards.

He left the Midwest program a national champion who played a major role in the title run, passing the 1,000 rushing yards mark during the 34-23 victory over Notre Dame on January 20.

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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