Two Patriots Rookies Who Could Be Stars in 2026

With all eyes from New England Patriots fans zoomed in on the upcoming postseason, thinking about the future is only natural.

After all, New England most recently secured the division championship for the first time since 2019 and improved to a perfect 8-0 road record in 2025. The Patriots still have an active path to being the AFC top seed should the Pats win or tie against the Miami Dolphins while the Denver Broncos lose to the Los Angeles Chargers. However, with all of this in mind — the 2025 NFL season does have to come to an end at some point.

And when it does, eyes will instead turn to what the Patriots are going to be up to in 2026.

With that in mind, here's two young New England stars who could be the latest Patriots' superstars come next season.

Why Efton Chism III, TreVeyon Henderson Could Be Next Patriots' Offensive Stars

2. Efton Chism III

By all accounts, Efton Chism III could very well be the next star in Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel's wide receivers room. Often commended for his hard work after making the 53-man roster this year after going undrafted, Vrabel recently took to a Dec. 26 press conference saying that Chism is one of the hardest working members of the New England roster.

"He's always prepared," Vrabel said of Chism. "There's hard workers on this team and I would say none that probably work harder than Efton. I'm not going to say that he's the hardest worker, but you'd be hard pressed to find players that work harder than him. To be prepared, to be ready, to take advantage of his opportunity which it looks like in all accounts — he'll get opportunities [against the Jets.]"

Against the New York Jets and en route to the Pats' most recent 42-10 win, Chism tallied a 30-yard reception and his first career NFL touchdown for 10-yards from quarterback Drake Maye.

His performance was met with Chism recognizing how he has started to achieve his dream and that he is thankful to be a part of the New England dynasty.

“Super special. Super surreal. You always kinda dream of those moments, and then it happens. I’m just very blessed and thankful to be here… Very thankful to be a part of [this program]," Chism said following his first TD catch.

#Patriots rookie WR Efton Chism on his first career TD catch:

“Super special. Super surreal. You always kinda dream of those moments, and then it happens. I’m just very blessed and thankful to be here… Very thankful to be a part of [this program].”

(🎥 @Patriots) pic.twitter.com/cmtGwDTjtq
— Carlos A. Lopez (@LosTalksPats) December 28, 2025

1. TreVeyon Henderson

After being selected by New England in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Henderson has already quickly become a fan-favorite on the ground game.

From his college years, Henderson is ranked No. 3 at Ohio State in career all-purpose yards with 4,614. Ahead of being drafted by the Patriots, Henderson gained national exposure when he scored a five-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass with 13 seconds left in the first half to give Ohio State a 14-7 lead over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cotton Bowl en route to the Buckeyes' eventually hoisting the coveted trophy.

The 23-year-old running back has recorded 858 rushing yards and scored seven touchdowns this season. In addition, he has made 35 receptions for 221 yards and added one more touchdown to his stat sheet.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains… pic.twitter.com/h2CdfU9ry5
— TreVeyon Henderson (@TreVeyonH4) December 31, 2025

With Chism in the midst of stepping up due to injuries across the WR position, both him and Henderson could turn out to be big stars for the Pats' in 2026, especially if they keep up the good work in the postseason.

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